Storms
by kazenoyouni
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto is all alone. At least, until he's taken in by a dark, rich stranger. It seems he now has something to live for again... SasuNaru
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so I had this idea and so I'm gonna attempt to write it. Hopefully it'll turn out well, but... Anyways, I'm about nearing the end of my other story (Sexy Ass) and so I'm gonna try working on this. Unlike SA, this one will probably have a more serious tone, at least for the first few chapters. And as a warning to anyone who chooses to read this story, the chapters will likely all be short and probably far between, as the mood is not one I'm in too often, for now anyways, and I'll be leaving for Japan in less than a month. I will try to write and update fast, but if you want good quality, patience is a must for this story. Sorry, I'll try hard. I do have quite a bit of the plot planned out, and it will be long (probably). And it'll help that by noon tomorrow I should be done with finals and whatnot. That should give me more time to write. Anyways, please enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** don't own Naruto or angsty Uchihas

**Warnings:** unbeta'd

* * *

Rain was falling in steady torrents outside the window. The rattling sound of water falling against window panes continued its light trill as the sound of quaking thunder reverberating through the room overpowered all conversation, no matter how loud or raucous the sounds were. Inside that bright room conversation prattled on about useless topics, gossip and boasting the main source. The lights shimmered in crystal chandeliers high up in the tall vaulted ceilings, streamers cascading down in bright, glittering colors. The people wore elegant clothing; only the most fashionable styles on the women and suit clad men. Finger food was carried around on silver platters by penguin suited servants and wine was plentiful. The polished marble floor, only touched by expensive high heels and leather shoes, along with the occasional trailing cloth, only lightly added to the general noise of celebration as those heels clicked as stylish women headed from one group to the next.

And outside the rain fell down harder.

And regardless of the light that filled the room and classy people, in a dark corner by one of those large, many paneled windows stood a dark figure. His clothes, just as rich and stylish as any other there, was only worth a passing glance as compared to that gorgeous pale face, the striking features setting off those eyes which were pools of dark obsidian set against the mop of dark hair streaked in blue when the light fell just right. His flawless skin and poised demeanor as he casually held a glass of dark wine was enough to catch the attention of any woman, which is perhaps why he had hidden himself away. Uchiha Sasuke, younger brother of the wealthy and popular head of the Uchiha Group hated the fawning attention of women. The only reason he had allowed himself to be seen in such a place was to stop the incessant pestering of his brother and his only living relative, Uchiha Itachi. Honestly, to Sasuke, he would rather stand outside next to a metal pole than allow himself to be ogled and clung to by the women in that room.

Yes, Uchiha Sasuke, _was_ extremely sought after. He, however, could not care less about anything or anyone. At least, that seemed to be what his libido kept insisting to him.

He sighed as a flock of giggling, flirtatious women in tight-fitting, cleavage exposing dresses caught sight of him and began to wander over. Just his luck. He was positive he would be offered the bodies of each of those women for the night, no matter how much he tried to get rid of them. He could practically already feel them clawing at him, trying to feel his smooth skin and touch him in places they had no right to touch. Not that anything would come of it. He had learned long ago that they would get no reaction. As Itachi liked to passingly mention, Uchiha Sasuke was screamingly asexual.

The dark haired man sipped at his wine indifferently as the prattling women drew nearer. He turned away and faced the window again, choosing to ignore them for as long as possible. This god-forsaken rain. He just wanted it to end so he could leave. But it continued on, heedless to his wishes, just as it had been for hours. It really was starting to seem as though it would never stop.

The women reached him, crowded around him, clutched at him. He nearly spilled the red liquid all over his white dress shirt when one particularly annoying female gripped his arm roughly, pressing her breast against him. It was clear she wasn't wearing a bra and the Uchiha held in an irritated sigh. Damn he hated these parties.

A flash of light and then the rumbling of thunder once more filled the room. One of the annoying women squealed and pressed into Sasuke's other side, murmuring something about being scared and "Sasuke-kun, hold me!" He chanced another glance out of the window, noting the rain had grown yet more powerful.

His grip increased on the glass he held until it nearly broke. His body tensed up and he glared at the women surrounding him.

"I must speak with my brother," he mumbled, not caring if they heard or understood or not. Just as long as they got the hell away from him. Of course he knew they wouldn't. And they didn't; they followed him as he made his way through the crowds and across the room where his brother stood, talking quietly with a group of older men.

Itachi turned slightly as his younger brother drew closer, his dark, indifferent eyes focusing on the younger Uchiha, his long, dark hair swaying somewhat as he turned.

"Having fun, little brother?" he asked, his lips turning up at the corner slightly.

Sasuke sent a cool glare at his elder brother. "I'm going home."

One of Itachi's eyebrows rose. "Going home? In this weather? Don't be absurd. You'll get soaked and end up getting sick."

"I'll take the risk."

Itachi watched Sasuke a moment, a blank expression on his face. He turned back to the men he had been conversing with previously and stated bluntly, "Do as you wish. Don't expect me to take care of you if you catch cold."

"As if I would let you." Sasuke nodded to the men who stared at him and turned away, ignoring the women insisting he stay longer, that he stay with them, spend the night…

"Sasuke…" Itachi's cold voice drifted to the dark haired man as he began to make his way toward the exit. Sasuke turned slightly, regarding his brother suspiciously.

"What?"

Itachi smirked. "Don't forget to say good bye to the lovely Sakura-san."

Sasuke glared. "Fuck you, Itachi," he murmured loud enough for Itachi to hear and the few people around them to look scandalized.

"Oh, little brother… if only that were the problem."

Sasuke turned away and quickly made his way across the bright room, the rumbling of thunder making itself heard above the din. He didn't need reminding of his problem. That bastard brother, if only they weren't related he swore he would kill Itachi in his sleep. But who knew if that bastard even slept. Did someone as nearly inhuman as Itachi even need sleep?

Sasuke pushed the thought aside as he finally managed to tear himself away from the annoying women and grabbed his coat from the large closet beside the front door of the elegant mansion. Without wasting a step he headed to the door, pulling it open as he slipped an arm in the jacket, shutting it roughly as he adjusted the leather on his shoulders and proceeded to make his way through the pouring rain. He didn't need the bright ballroom or the rich, meaningless people. All he needed was the cold rain and the dark night.

He vaguely hoped none of those women would be following him.

* * *

**Updated: 5/3/2013**

Author's Note: Hi there! For those of you who might be rereading this, I will be updating the whole story. I recently reread the beginning and, ugh, horrible! Though I don't think there will be many changes, I just hate typos. I'll also be checking to make sure the timeline and such-not are consistent. The flow of chapters might be an issue, too, since I often go long stints between, so I'll also check that.

And with updating, I also intend to get back to continuing to write! Hopefully we'll reach the end of the story soon! –kazenoyouni (5/3/13)


	2. Chapter 2

Here is the second chapter. Hopefully now it'll start making sense, heh. Anyways, still short but the plot will start in this chapter. I'll try to update when I can. Enjoy.

**Warning:** talk of sexual activity- sort of.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own.

* * *

It really was raining heavily. He could feel the chill overtaking him as he walked slowly through the rain. He didn't care if he really did catch a cold. He was an Uchiha, they could afford the best doctors Japan had to offer. All that mattered was that he had gotten away from that mansion, from that party, from those flocking, slutty women and away from his brother.

Itachi.

His eyes slit against the rain just thinking of his brother. Of all the trouble he caused him daily. All of his half-hearted attempts to sooth what he deemed as his little brother's "problem".

So Sasuke was asexual. The younger Uchiha saw no problem with it. It was no distraction, helped him stay focused on being the best, on surpassing his brother. He didn't need women, or men, to satisfy a sexual appetite. Didn't have to worry about a relationship or putting up with an annoying person or dealing with a morning after, an attempt to keep in touch after a one night stand, didn't have to worry about an unexpected pregnancy, jealous lovers or any of that. He was beyond it all. He wasn't interested.

It had started young. After he lost his parents, it was as though he had lost all emotion except anger and the drive to become stronger, smarter, superior to the genius Uchiha Itachi. All that mattered was his studies. He had no time for girls. And it was as though his libido became as numb as everything else. He didn't react. Not even when he thought once to just try it out. When his dark eyes skimmed over the naked girl lying spread out beneath him, he didn't get hard. And he didn't bother pretending. He stared indifferently for a few moments, first at the girl, then at his own soft manhood. Then he shrugged, put his clothes back on and left.

It didn't bother him. It didn't matter.

But when Itachi had found out (how Sasuke never knew, nor did he care to learn the means), he took it upon himself, as the caring elder brother (at which point Sasuke snorted in disbelief), to cure his brother of his "problem" and find someone the younger Uchiha _would_ react to. Someone the young Sasuke would become hard for and would then be able to fuck and get out all of his sexual frustration on. Sasuke ignored it all. So far as he was concerned, there was no sexual frustration, at which Itachi would raise an amused eyebrow and nod indulgently.

And so it had begun, Itachi's so called "cure". Every night for near on three years it had been someone new, some random person Itachi had found to "satisfy his dear little brother's urges". Sasuke had no urges, so he didn't know what the hell Itachi was talking about.

And every night for three years, Sasuke went through the same routine. He would find himself above some random woman, and eventually, some random man, staring at the naked body below him, find himself not anywhere near hard, and would soon find his mind wandering to all the work he had to do; for school, for work- it didn't matter. What mattered was he wasn't interested in the body before him. No matter how the other touched him or attempted to seduce him, he remained limp. So he would sigh in annoyance and leave the room.

And the continuing result- he was asexual. And he didn't mind.

He took a deep breath, breathed in the smell of rain and the cold, and shivered as he realized how drenched he had become since he had left. He barely took notice of the dark, nearly empty street he was casually strolling down, not really anxious to get home. He realized he could have called a cab or let one of the limo drivers of the mansion take him home, but he knew he was safer from the hordes of obsessed women who couldn't get the message that he _wasn't interested_ by walking in the cold rain, even if the walk was not a short one.

Those damn women. Even when they knew he wouldn't get hard, they still insisted they would be the one to finally turn the younger Uchiha on. Yeah, right.

He lifted a numbing hand to his face and wiped the rain from his eyes. It was really starting to get annoying, the incessant rain. It had soaked his hair and plastered his bangs to his face. Water kept getting in his eyes and blinding him, and he was really starting to think about hailing a cab and riding the rest of the way back to his house.

He let his hand fall back to his side and looked up, trying to find where he was now and how far he had left to go. Dark eyes met blue.

He blinked.

Blue as a clear, cloudless noonday sky… but it was still dark and raining. He felt a strange stirring inside, something altogether unfamiliar and it seemed to focus in his lower extremities… in that area he had never felt anything in before.

The blue blinked, and he realized he was looking into the clear eyes of a young man not three feet away, sitting on the concrete edge of a fountain centered in the park courtyard he was crossing, unmoving in the cold rain. He scanned the figure; those blue eyes, blond hair plastered to his tan face, those strange whisker-like scars just barely visible in the dim light illuminating the fountain which fell on them from behind the strange man. His clothes were soaked as though he had been tossed in the fountain and hadn't come out for an hour at least. The man blinked again, his eyes fixed on the Uchiha. That stirring returned and Sasuke vaguely wondered about it.

Once more a blink of those eyes, and then they closed. The man fell forward and lay unmoving on the cold, wet cement.

Sasuke stood and watched. The rain continued to fall. The thunder rumbled.

Sasuke decided to take a cab.

* * *

**Updated: 5/3/13**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Sorry about the long wait. I had planned on updating one more time before leaving for Japan, but I got busy. But I am now settled in for the semester, so hopefully I'll stop being lazy and update my two stories more often. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** don't own.

**Warnings:** not much, just unbeta'd

* * *

The mansion was mostly dark when the cab pulled up. Only a few windows were lit with light as the rain continued to fall. He got out and pulled out his leather wallet, handing the driver the money and a large tip, before reaching back into the backseat and pulling out his new load.

The blond man had a fever, had probably been out in the rain for a long time. And for some unknown reason, the Uchiha hadn't been able to leave him out there to die.

It really was strange. It wasn't in him to care if a stranger lived or died. It shouldn't matter if this man was left in the rain. It shouldn't concern him, wondering how long this man who couldn't be older than himself had been left out there, why he was out there, why he hadn't taken shelter, why he hadn't gone home. He should have walked away and never given it a second thought. But his heart pounded slightly as he lifted the cold, wet weight and carried him into the Uchiha manor.

He was heavy, but not too much so, was probably just an inch or two shorter. But even in the dim light he could tell- tell that this strange man, whoever he was, was a beauty. And in the back of his mind, the Uchiha hoped he would get the chance to see him dry and clean and awake soon. Would be able to see those brilliantly blue eyes again, focused on him. He wanted this strange man to get better. He wanted to know his name.

As soon as the door opened a young woman appeared, ready to serve the newly arrived master. She smiled at him before she noticed the load he carried.

"Sasuke-sama! What… where did you find…"

"Mariko, get him clean clothes and have him washed and changed. Prepare a room for him as well… And call a doctor." Sasuke looked from the maid to the blond and sighed. He really didn't know why he was bothering. But that warmth was still there, and it seemed to burn where his body had come into contact with the blond's.

The servant girl nodded and shouted for the others to come help, a man and two other women emerging from another room towards the back. The man took the limp blond from his master, frowning slightly when the Uchiha showed reluctance at being relieved of his load.

The older woman rushed upstairs to get the bath ready while the other young girl went to fix the bed, the girl named Mariko rushing to find some suitable clothes and call a doctor, leaving Sasuke still standing, wet and cold, in the entryway, dark eyes watching as the blond was taken up the large, curving staircase.

He took a deep breath to steady his nerves and took a step forward further into the warm manor. He pulled off his soaked jacket and brushed a hand through his cold, wet hair plastered to his head and took off his shoes, leaving them in a pile of wet leather by the door where a puddle now stood as testament to how wet he had been. He tore off his wet socks and walked with cold, bare feet to the stairs and made his way up slowly, unbuttoning the dress shirt he wore which was now clinging to his pale frame.

As soon as he reached the second floor landing he made his way to his room, listening for the sounds of rustling sheets and running water, knowing those sounds would signal the state of his blond guest.

Really, what was he thinking, bringing a stranger into the Uchiha home. He definitely knew that Itachi would have something to say about it all. But then again, when did Sasuke ever listen to his elder brother?

Exactly, never. And it was probably the only reason Sasuke hadn't gone insane. Yet.

He reached his room and strode inside, quickly removing his soaked clothing and grabbing some fresh ones out of his wardrobe and headed to the bathroom for a hot shower himself.

As the hot water hit his cold flesh, his mind turned back to that beautiful blond in the room next to his, wondering once more why he had brought a stranger home. But he pushed it aside and let the water caress him before he washed and rinsed and stepped back out, putting on his dry clothes.

When he stepped back out into his room, Mariko was there, waiting to inform him of Tsunade-sama's arrival.

He nodded and followed her to the front entrance of the manner, which had been cleaned of the puddle. Here Tsunade, the blonde, large-breasted doctor stood waiting, a look of impatience and irritation on her face as she watched the young man's approach.

"It's soaking wet outside and yet you insist on making me come here, huh, Uchiha. This had better be worth it, or you will suffer," the woman threatened, clearly unconcerned with his status.

He fixed her a glare before speaking. "I hope you're not too drunk to do your job."

She returned the glare and sighed heavily. "You owe me big for this. I'm charging you a fortune."

"Gambling again?" the Uchiha returned. He shifted and tilted his head, his eyes widening a bit in faint amusement. "Don't worry. Whatever you lost today I'll cover. And you should be happy you got called away before you lost more."

She grinned. "Covering it all, huh? Maybe this'll be worth it after all. But I'm still gonna charge you a fortune."

He shrugged, really not caring. He led her up the stairs to his guest's room, the older maid standing over him as she adjusted the sheets around him.

He was laying peacefully on the large bed, his eyes closed and his blond hair dry on his pillow. His face had a look of peace, and clearly this time, the raven noticed the scars on the young blond's cheeks. Three long scars to each side of his face, mirror reflections of each other. Otherwise he had smooth skin, flawless, but slightly tanned. And it was even more obvious, now, just how beautiful this young man was.

Tsunade's blond brows shot up in surprise, but she said nothing as she quickly approached the bed where he lay. She pulled down the covers, revealing the dry clothes now resting on his frame, a bit too big for him. She moved aside the top, seemingly to check his pulse around his neck, and she sighed deeply, sounding almost relieved, before she frowned.

"Where did you find him? Who is he?" she demanded of Sasuke, turning towards him.

He shrugged. "He was out in the street. He passed out after he noticed me. I didn't get his name."

Tsunade looked at the young blond again, her eyes looking troubled before she began her job, checking him over, trying to find what was wrong. Sasuke leaned against the wall by the door as he watched, his dark eyes mostly fixed on the boy's face.

Half an hour passed and finally Tsunade turned to the Uchiha as she pulled the covers back up.

"He's mostly fine. A slight fever, a bit malnourished. It doesn't look like he's been eating enough recently. He's unconscious for the moment, and might be for a while. As soon as he wakes up, feed him soup, nothing too difficult to keep down. And make sure he gets lots of water. I'll give some recommendations to the cooks. Call me when he wakes, and I'll come check up on him again." She put her hand to her chin, thinking deeply. Her honey-colored eyes turned to examine the young Uchiha before she spoke. "I don't know why you brought him, but don't be too rough. He's most likely been through a lot recently, judging by the slight bags under his eyes and the fact he apparently hasn't been eating much. He's probably going to be scared when he wakes up."

Sasuke nodded and she walked out of the room. She paused at the door and turned back to the Uchiha, her eyes flickering briefly back to the sleeping blond. "I'll send you the bill in the mail." She grinned at Sasuke before turning and leaving.

The raven resisted rolling his eyes and left the room. It seemed he now had a guest, and plans began to form in his mind. He had things to do.

* * *

**Updated: 5/4/2013**


	4. Chapter 4

Alright, so I know it's been a really long time since I updated this, but the mood I have set for it is hard to get into. Luckily, I got into it today, but it's a really short chapter. I'll try to update both of my stories quick, but don't expect much, since I have two papers, lots of homework, a Japanese oral exam, and a couple of quizzes all within the next four days. After that, maybe. The plot is picking up from this chapter though, so enjoy.

**Warning:** nothing really, just really short and unbeta'd

**Disclaimer:** don't own

* * *

If Sasuke were less of a diligent person then he was, if he didn't have such a strong will and determination, he might have allowed his tired body rest after he knew of the state of his charge. He could leave the rest for tomorrow.

But this was Uchiha Sasuke. And he had plans.

There was no way he could let this rest until tomorrow.

So as the elder female maid entered the blond's makeshift room and began to fuss with the sheets covering the frail body, the dark haired man left the room, thoughts running through his head of what needed to be done, estimates of how much time he had to do them in, and how would he explain it all to that bastard of a sadistic elder brother of his.

He made his way down the wide, elegant staircase, as he contemplated the situation. Just as he made it to the foot of the steps, the young maid, Mariko, began her trek upwards, a bowl of hot broth on a silver plated tray in her hands.

"Sasuke-sama," she bowed as she continued on past him. He stopped as his bare foot touched the cold hardwood floor at the bottom and turned to watch her back as she slowly continued up.

"I have a new task for you. There are several things which must be taken care of by tomorrow."

She paused and turned back to bow once more. "Hai, Sasuke-sama."

He nodded and indicated a room close from where he stood. "After you deliver that, come see me in the parlor for instructions."

She bowed once more and headed back up as the younger Uchiha turned to the parlor, making his way straight for the desk at the far side of the large room where important numbers and directions were kept. He searched through the drawers quickly, searching for that certain number he needed.

He found it just as Mariko returned and waited at the entryway for her orders. Sasuke flipped through the book in his hands and glanced at her briefly before he made his way over to where she stood and handed her the book, pointing to the numbers written there.

"Tomorrow, first thing, I need you to go shopping for clothes for my guest."

"Of course, Sasuke-sama," she nodded, her dark eyes fixed on the two numbers he was showing her, not quite understanding what the connection was.

But then he continued speaking.

"By noon, make sure you have enough fashionable clothing for him, as well as a good amount of good quality house items. I'll call you around that time and direct you to whatever apartment I can find for him. After you have everything dropped off, you will need to contact this number," he pointed to the second one listed, "and arrange whatever furniture the apartment will need. After the room is suitable, we'll have the blond taken over there. You will stay with him until he's better. Have this all taken care of as quickly as possible." He waited for her response to be sure she had understood.

Mariko, on her part, was a bit stunned by what seemed to be going on. She looked up at him carefully for a moment, before she smiled and nodded. "Of course, Sasuke-sama. It'll be done as you have instructed."

He nodded and left the book in her hands before making his way up to make some phone calls. After all, he needed to find a good apartment, and he wasn't going to take any chances. He didn't care if it was nearly three in the morning, and he certainly didn't give a shit if he woke anyone up. He was an Uchiha. It was their duty to be at his beck and call.

"Ano, Sasuke-sama, what of Itachi-sama?"

Sasuke paused with one foot on the first step up, a shiver racing down his spine. He turned back slowly, glare firmly set in place. "It's none of his business."

He turned and made his way up.

* * *

**Updated: 5/5/2013**


	5. Chapter 5

Okay, so it has been a really, really, extremely long time since I updated anything, and I still haven't finished SA. Soo Sooo sorry! I really am trying my hardest to actually get motivated, but I've been lazy.

Anyways, I'll at least update this story a few times in the next week, since I have at least two more chapters finished, and I'll continue to try working on SA, though whenever I post it (for those of you who read it), the chapter will likely end up short. Sorry!

Also, I got a beta reader! Yatta! So everyone please thank -Nightly Halo-, she is the super awesomeness!

**Disclaimer:** don't own

no warnings, sorry...

* * *

It all seemed to be going well. He had gotten up at a reasonable hour, and even though he was still exhausted, he forced himself out of bed and got dressed. After all, he had important things to tend to today.

He made his way out of his room, pausing outside the blond's, before he pushed the door open and went to stand beside the bed.

The boy was still unconscious, still lying there breathing evenly, eyelids closed, sealing those blue eyes from the world. His chest rose in a steady rhythm, his freshly cleaned blond locks lightly touching his tanned, whiskered face. Sasuke watched for several moments, entranced.

Even with those eyes hidden, this boy was beautiful.

"Quite the little something you picked up last night, little brother," a voice echoed into the silent room. Sasuke went stiff.

He turned slowly towards the door, glaring at his elder sibling who was leaning casually on the frame. "What do you want, Itachi," he ground out.

Itachi grinned triumphantly. "He's quite something. But no one will tell me anything beyond you brought him home last night and had Tsunade come to check on him. But there must be more of a story behind it all. You aren't the kind to just… pick someone up off the streets. And definitely to not bring them home and call a rather famous, not to mention expensive, doctor in the middle of the night to come check on him, hmm?"

Sasuke held back a growl. "I don't have time to deal with your crap this morning, Itachi. I have errands to run."

"Oh? Why not just have one of the servants do them?" Itachi asked, shifting. "Though…" he mused, "it seems one of them did go do some errands for you this morning, though no one seems to know what." Itachi fixed dark eyes on his younger sibling. "What are you planning, Sasuke?"

"None. Of. Your. Business." Sasuke cast one more dark glare at his brother before slipping past him out of the door, heading off for his first appointment without bothering to stop for breakfast. He only had a few hours to find a suitable place, after all, if his plan was to work.

* * *

He arrived at the first apartment, prepared to meet whoever it was that had always been a recommended real estate agent for the Uchiha associates. He had thought many times about moving out of that mansion where his brother practically ruled his life, but…

And as much as he hated the awful memories attached to that place, there were good ones too…

And so he had stayed, and mostly ignored mention of the real estate agent he was now heading to meet. But still, it wasn't as if the place was for him.

He parked in front of the tall, glistening building. He knew immediately it was new; not all the plants had been buried into their proper landscaped positions yet and as he drew nearer the smell of fresh paint drifted on the breeze. The building itself looked sufficient, but he wasn't yet sure…

He passed through the glass revolving doors and soon was standing in the middle of the large lobby. The décor was tasteful, at least, and it seemed… livable. He nodded at least at that much.

"Uchiha-san!"

He turned his head at the exclamation to find a beaming woman with bright red hair adjusting her black, thick framed glasses. She wore a tight dark red suit, and her high boots made the skin of her thighs just below her short skirt all the more obvious. He arched a dark brow and suddenly regretted trusting the company recommended real estate agent.

"Can I help you?" he asked, hoping this lady wasn't who he had come to see.

"Oh, I believe I'm the one here to help _you_, Uchiha-san. Or can I just call you Sasuke?" She giggled, and Sasuke had the sudden urge to run.

"Then you're-"

"Just call me Karin," the woman smiled, leaning toward him and brushing against his arm. He glared. "Shall we start then?" She turned and began walking toward the elevator.

He could tell this was going to be a long morning. He shivered. And that was only if they managed to find something…

He (reluctantly) followed her to the elevator and got in, trying to get as far away from her as he could in the confined space. Soft music drifted into his ears as they were carried upward. One side of the elevator was glass, and dark eyes watched as more and more of the scenery became apparent.

"This building just opened. There are still many apartments available, in several different styles," Karin began, sneaking peaks at him as she showed off her knowledge. "If you can't find something that suits your taste, there are many options. And then I also have a list of several other places, all which fit the conditions you specified last night."

He nodded absently as the elevator stopped and the doors opened. He followed her out and was led down the hall, the plush carpet in light colors seeming to radiate light as they walked.

Karin stopped suddenly and Sasuke nearly ran into her. She smiled at him innocently, confirming she had stopped suddenly on purpose. "This first apartment is one of biggest the building has to offer. You did ask for spacious with a good view, correct?"

He nodded briefly as his eyes scanned the floor. It was bright, but it seemed a bit too secluded. He didn't think something like that would fit the blond. Not that he would know really, but he was going with his gut.

The red haired woman opened the door and led him in. It was spacious, even more so due to the fact that it was empty. They entered into the living area, the kitchen to the left with a balcony just on the other side of the dining area. Across the living room was a door which, Sasuke presumed, led into the bedroom. He made his way there.

"Ah, yes, the bedroom," Karin mumbled as she ran to catch up, adjusting her glasses. "A very important area," she intoned seductively. He ignored her.

The bedroom was as well spacious, but the window at the other end of the room was small and didn't allow for a good view or very much light. It was decorated and had textured glass. It made the room look darker.

"No."

Karin had just begun an explanation of how it could be decorated when Sasuke interrupted. "I-I beg your pardon?"

"No. Show me somewhere else."

"A-Another room then. But none are as big-"

"Another building."

"Eh?" She looked at him with eyes wide, stunned. No one she had shown here had rejected so quickly. In fact, most were extremely impressed. But he was already walking back out the door to the elevator.

"Sasuke-san! Uh… if this isn't the right place, I have many others!" She caught up with him at the elevator and began telling him about all the other options as they headed downward. He half-listened as he considered the blond.

"Don't worry, Sasuke-kun," Karin was saying. He vaguely wondered when she had changed suffixes when she murmured, "we'll find the perfect place."

Once more, he stopped listening.

* * *

It was nearing eleven. They had been going from place to place since just after eight, and still nothing seemed to fit Sasuke's image of what would best suit the blond. And as much as this Karin person annoyed him, he didn't plan to just settle for anything. But really, any longer with her, and he was going to lose his mind and probably kill her. Most likely.

They approached a relatively smaller building, another new one, with light brown coloring and a cheery look to it. The wind fluttered the full green leaves of the many pockets of trees around the foot of the place, the bright flowers fluttering and sending their tantalizing scents to the noses of the two visitors. The path to get to the protruding doorway was paved with white rocks and the grass was green ad well taken care of. The door, when they approached, was polished glass and wood, matching the large windows along the front. Lattices carved with vines and leaves overhung the door and windows. The words KONOHA VILLA were stenciled into a gilded wooden plaque to the left of the doorway.

The two stepped inside into a sort of antechamber. It was small, with polished hardwood floors with a smaller white, plush carpet over laid. The walls were white, and the room seemed to glow from the light streaming in through the many windows. Small pictures hung on the walls between window breaks depicting forests or seashores or mountainscapes. Little golden lanterns hung from the ceiling.

They passed through the small room into the main lobby, which was, much like the first room, painted in a glowing sort of white, the walls hung with larger pictures of the same kinds of scenes, the floor of polished hardwood. But this room, aside from being much bigger and containing the receptionist desk set to the side, seemed nearly as nature oriented as outside the building. Many large plants were scattered about the room, and to the opposite side of the receptionist was what seemed to be a waterfall that, if the couches and coffee tables weren't huddled before it, Sasuke would have thought was outside. So many large windows along the walls certainly didn't dilute that idea.

Karin nodded to the receptionist on duty and led Sasuke to the elevator, across from where they stood. It arrived quickly and the button was pressed for the top floor, the sixth. When the doors opened, they were to walls of beige paint and leaf stenciled patterns. Sporadically placed were the same type of golden lanterns as before.

But what caught Sasuke's attention was the amount of light in the hallway, even though the lamps were off. He turned and scanned the walls, finally noticing that along the wall on the elevator side were long windows set up high, letting the near noon-day light stream in.

"This floor is the most important level. It's smaller, so there are fewer rooms, but they're much, much bigger and they have the best view." Karin adjusted her glasses and turned left down the hallway. She stopped and unlocked the door on their right, the only one Sasuke had seen, and they went in.

The room opened to a wide area, the large kitchen to their immediate right. The room had many strange angles to it, and when he turned to the left, he noticed the large windows that revealed a balcony with a splendid view of the area. Straight ahead he noticed two doors and made his way toward them.

He opened the first one, the one closest to the kitchen, and walked into a large room with a private balcony along the opposite wall. Karin stepped up behind him and nodded as she looked down at the notes on the room she held. "This is the master bedroom. This apartment is a two bedroom. Two balconies, two bathrooms… Ah, Sasuke-kun?"

He had walked ahead, examining everything, ignoring the red-head. He found his way into the large bathroom and back out. He left that room to explore the other room, then made his way to the balcony from the living area, reentering the room by the other door which led into the dining area across from the kitchen.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"I'll take it," he decided as he re-entered. Karin's eyes widened.

"Wonderful! I'll have the papers ready for you in a couple of hours and I'll take care of all of the little details. Of course you can move in as soon as you wish. "

The Uchiha nodded absently as his eyes continued to scan the room. It was a bright, cheery sort of room, and he had the strange feeling the blond would fit in here.

"I'll have the right people notified of your change in address as quickly as-"

"No need. I won't be the one moving here."

"W-what?"

"It's for my lover."

Karin gaped at the dark haired man as he looked the apartment over once more, at last satisfied.

"Y-y-y-y-you're l-l-lover?"

Sasuke looked back over his shoulder at her and smirked.

"Y-y-you never m-mentioned that!"

"Hn. You never asked. You just assumed it was for me. Now if we're done, I have many other things to tend to now that the place is settled on."

Karin continued to stare in shock before she finally recovered enough to begin the final stages of getting the apartment.

* * *

**Updated: 5/5/2013**


	6. Chapter 6

Well, here I am again, just like I said! Yay! Still trying to work on SA for those of you who read it, just be a bit more patient, please!

Thanks for those few of you who review. You all are great, please continue! This story is finally picking up, just a couple of chapters more and Naruto should be awake, look forward to it. That's when the real story will start...

Disclaimer: no own

no warnings (sorry). Once more beta'd by -Nightly Halo-. Yatta!

* * *

She answered the phone after three rings, more than Sasuke would normally have tolerated, but Mariko quickly explained she had been in the middle of trying to negotiate shipping plans for all she had bought when her phone had begun ringing, at which point she had to somehow find her phone.

He nodded and then interrupted her. "Fine. Figure that out, come to the address I send you, and then get the furniture. As soon as the apartment is ready, we'll have him moved."

"Hai, I understand," Mariko replied. The line went dead and several moments later it beeped to indicate a text message. The maid flipped open her phone and finished filing out shipping information before she grabbed what she could and headed to the driver waiting for her. She had just finished buying anything any person would need for an apartment, no matter what the place was like: silverware, plates, cups, pots and pans, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, soap, towels, and anything else she could think of as she had wandered about the store. She had purchased a considerable amount in the two hours she had been there.

The clothes she had spent her first three hours out buying were all crammed into the car. She had taken the blond boy's measurements the night before, careful to study his features to be able to select colors and styles that would work well on him. She had even pried open a closed eyelid to see what color his irises were (her Master was an extremely fastidious man, after all). She had been a bit stunned to find them to be very blue.

She had taken all of that into account and had gotten a rather extensive wardrobe for the blond, all of expensive, extremely fashionable clothes. She had even made sure to get him some nice pajamas, as well as other important things such as underwear and socks. She only hoped these things were to his liking…

She watched as the driver took her to the blond's new apartment, and was stunned when she finally caught sight of the building. Her astonishment only increased as she got to the room itself, pride filling her that her young master had found such a good place for the blond.

Though it still made her curious as to why he was going to such efforts for a stranger he had found on the street…

Pushing that thought from her mind, she turned back to the matter at hand and began instructing the driver where to put certain packages as she went about inspecting things, noting color schemes already present, the angles and sizes and how much furniture and what kind would be best, and all around memorizing as much as she could of the place.

Once she was satisfied, she moved back to the door where the driver was catching his breath, waiting to take her to their next destination.

She nodded once and headed back down to the car, hopping in as it sped off.

* * *

It was kind of fun, actually, spending her day picking out furniture for a new apartment. Even if it wasn't for her, it was exciting. She had complete control over everything, had no concern for money, and just picked whatever she took a liking to. She only had to hope her boss and his charge liked her choices. But then, she figured, if her boss was going to ask her, he must have some confidence in her taste.

But she wouldn't hold her breath for a confirmation on that.

But still, she was rather pleased with her selections thus far. The furniture she had picked out so far was all sophisticated, but bright and cheery and comfortable. The living room, she had decided, needed to give off a good impression. It was the first room a person would see upon entering the apartment, and so she reasoned it needed to set off a good image for the rest of the place to follow.

The couches would be soft leather, white, accented with colorful throws, the hardwood floor covered with a plush, bright, but tasteful rug. The coffee table would be dark wood, polished to a glossy finish, and she picked out bookshelves and an entertainment center to match.

She had taken note that the lighting fixtures were ordinary, so she picked out a golden, intricate, and extremely beautiful, but not overwhelming chandelier for the dining area, and since it was joined with the living area, she picked a matching long fixture for there, which she was sure would cast an inviting halo over the room.

She selected a dark, cherry wood dining table, set of six matching, elegant chairs, china cabinet (not that she was so sure that part would ever be needed) and wine stand for the dining room.

For the guest bedroom, she decided on a smaller, but still elegant bedroom set in a silver tinted rod iron frame. The dresser was of dark wood accented with silver drawer handles, along with matching night stand and tall chest of drawers.

For the main bedroom, she thought very hard before choosing anything. She pictured the young man still unconscious in her master's home, she envisioned the apartment, and in the end, she chose an oak wood with a smooth honey finish for the room.

All in all, she was pleased.

She finished up the entire process by opting for a simple, but cute balcony table and two chairs for the area just outside the living room, and a small outside lounge chair for the balcony outside the blond's room.

Mariko gave the last of the shipping information and signed the bill, ready to head back to the apartment and start arranging, pleased that her master would be satisfied with her work, content that she had had a very productive day.

She always did like finishing a job well done.

* * *

**Updated: 5/8/2013**


	7. Chapter 7

Really short chapter, but I posted quick, ne? Yeah, so I have quite a few more chapters already written, so expect, maybe, two posts a week until I run out. Today is Friday, so I'll try now to post consistently, so expect a chapter next Friday and another one somewhere between then and now. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer**- same as always, Naruto not mine

**Warning**- major Uchiha Itachi ego, super short chapter

**beta'd** by the wonderful -Nightly Halo-

* * *

Itachi was curious.

It wasn't something he could say often. In fact, it was his personal goal to never have to say those words at all. He was Uchiha Itachi. He knew everything, had a right to know everything. Everything was his business, and if he deemed it worth his knowledge, he would gain all knowledge pertaining to it. Especially when it came to his dear little brother.

Which was all the more reason he was determined to know all concerning that strange little blond down the hall.

Itachi was not stupid. He was an Uchiha. That meant genius. He knew something curious was occurring, something that had never happened before, and it all revolved around that little blond.

Oh yes, he could smell trouble coming.

He watched from the balcony of the top floor's grand library, wine glass balanced in his pale hand, as his precious little brother waited by the car parked in front of the Uchiha manor. It was getting late, the sun setting behind the trees, the sky dusted in pinks and purples and oranges, slowly darkening in shade. The girl servant whose name escaped Itachi's memory at the moment was talking, hand motions emphasizing certain points, directing the younger Uchiha's dark eyes to the visions in her mind. The younger male listened carefully, making no outward indication that he paid any heed to the emphatic movements the servant made.

At last the girl stopped talking and bowed deeply. Sasuke nodded and the girl bowed again before she got back in the car and drove off.

Itachi could feel it, knew it in his bones. Something was going on. And he would not rest until he knew what.

And he supposed there was only one thing for it. He had to find out about that strange little blond still unconscious in the room next to his brother's. He had to know what it was about the boy that caused such a strange reaction in his darling little bother. He had to find the secret to this bizarre twist in fate.

He just couldn't wait for that cute little blond to wake up.

* * *

**Updated: 5/8/2013**


	8. Chapter 8

So here is the next chapter, and it seems that my pattern will be Tuesdays and Fridays until I run out of chapters. I know everyone is so anxious for Naruto to wake up, and it's getting close, I promise. In the meantime, enjoy!

warnings- suspicious behavior

disclaimer same as always

once more beta'd by -Nightly Halo-. Aren't you so jealous of her?

* * *

Two days had passed since so much had been accomplished. The blond's new apartment was impeccably decorated and spotlessly clean and organized, waiting only for the arrival of its new owner and primary resident.

The young maid still wasn't sure what her master had in mind for the blond, but she was content, none the less, to help. She had spent the previous two days determinedly setting up the apartment to be perfect, and she was now satisfied that it would be a more than tolerable place for the young blond to live in.

But she still had to wonder about it all. The young Uchiha was going through so much for a stranger. The blond was still unconscious, and according to Tsunade-sama, would be for another several days, and the elder Uchiha seemed to be taking the time to stop by the young blond's room, asking questions and constantly trying to stare down his younger brother. Sasuke seemed to be rather stubborn regarding the blond as well. More so than other things.

Mariko wiped down the counter one final time and sighed contentedly. She looked around the spotlessly clean, perfectly decorated apartment and nodded. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed her young Master's number.

"What?" A gruff voice spoke after a few rings. She ignored the tone; he was always annoyed.

"Sasuke-sama, the apartment is ready. Your guest can be moved in at any time." She smiled into the phone as she made her way to the door, grabbing her bag from the bar and pulling her keys out.

"Good. We'll have him moved tonight. Find a way to distract my brother."

"Yes, Sasuke-sama. I'll see what I can do."

He gave a quick "Hn" and the line went dead.

She sighed. He always was so closed off.

She made her way down to the lobby, a path she had grown quite accustomed to taking in the last few days, her thoughts on how exactly she would distract the all-knowing Itachi-sama. In the end, she settled on what she thought would most likely work- using Sasuke-sama himself as "bait".

She pulled out her cell phone and scrolled through her contacts, selecting the number of her boss, Uchiha Itachi. He was at work, which was to be expected, and was apparently working on his computer, as she could hear the tell-tell clicking of the keyboard keys.

"Itachi-sama," Mariko began.

"What did you need," Itachi asked in a bored, flat voice. The clicking continued unabated.

"Itachi-sama, I recently heard something interesting and I thought you would like to know." She could almost hear an eyebrow being raised over the continuous background noise.

"And?"

"Well, it concerns Sasuke-sama. I discovered he… well, tonight… he plans on meeting a… a person who is, well… his lover. Supposedly."

She heard the clinking of typing stop. She smiled.

"And… I also discovered… _where_ they will be meeting. As I know how much Sasuke-sama means to you, Itachi-sama, I thought you would like to be made aware of this."

"The address. Now."

She nodded into the phone and said the address, adding in the time of the meeting. Her smile remained as she hung up the phone.

* * *

**Updated: 5/8/2013**


	9. Chapter 9

Yeah, so I changed my mind. After thinking about it, and how unmotivated I've been to write this week, I've decided I'll just post on Friday. So chapter ten will be a week from today. Hope that's okay, sorry. That should give me an extra week to get remotivated and write a lot of new chapters! (since they're all short).

Anyways, Look forward to next week!

Warnings: not really

Disclaimer: still don't own

beta'd by -Nightly Halo-.

* * *

The young raven-haired man opened the door quietly, gently. The room was lightly lit, the windows shut to the growing darkness outside. It was late, there was no sign of Itachi, and the blond was still sound asleep, lost to his unconscious dreams.

In his as always flawless suit, he stepped up to the bedside, no sound being made by his light, socked feet on the soft carpet flooring. Dark orbs looked down at the sleeping face, those eyes still shut, hiding blue crystals, those scars appearing darker in the faint light.

For several moments Sasuke just watched, his face showing impassively, but his eyes revealing a much different emotion. Excitement. And full with a suspicious intent.

A soft knock at the door and it opened again. Sasuke looked up and Mariko bowed to him at the entry. "We're ready whenever you wish, Sasuke-sama."

He nodded and reached over to pull down the sheets covering the blond's body. Carefully he reached under and lifted the boy into his arms, shifting him to a comfortable position before taking him, bridal style, to the door and downstairs to the waiting car.

One more glance around to confirm Itachi's missing car before moving toward the open door, placing his charge gently to sit on the seat. The door closed as Sasuke moved to the other side, getting in before putting on the blond's and his own seatbelt.

The car took off toward the blond's new home.

Carefully he was laid once more on the soft surface of a mattress. Mariko adjusted the blankets around the blond's body before moving to adjust the curtains to close off the room from the darkness outside.

Sasuke stood at the doorway, dark eyes again focused on the blond. His eyes stayed glued to where those blue eyes, were the blond awake, would be found looking back at him.

"Sasuke-sama, what would you like now?" Mariko asked quietly as she moved away from the window.

He was silent a moment longer before he made his way out of the room, speaking to Mariko behind his back. "You can go now. I'll call you if I need anything."

She nodded and walked around him, heading for the door. He made his way to the couch and sat down, attention focused on the French doors leading out onto the balcony now enshrouded in night.

It was late, and where the young Uchiha sat was where he fell asleep.

* * *

**Updated: 5/8/2013**


	10. Chapter 10

So before we get to the chapter, I'd just like to comment that quite a few reviewers mentioned that the chapters were too short. Just one thing on that: if you go back to the first chapter of this story, I made sure to mention that the chapters were going to be short and probably far between. This summer I have no job and nothing to do but write, thus I am updating once a week. The style I have chosen for this story is more serious than SA is, and along with that I have chosen to keep the chapters shorter. I stop them where I feel it would be a good place to stop. If you don't like short chapters, I'm sorry, but I will keep making them short if I feel the chapter should be short. I don't want to seem rude or anything, it's just the style I've decided on for this story. In case you haven't noticed, for those who read SA, I don't update too often, and those chapters tend to be longer (though not by a whole lot). I have three typed pages for ch. 13 ready right now, but it's only three pages. It's not likely it'll be ready anytime soon.

Anyways, if you can get over having short chapters, please continue reading. You'll like this chapter.

Warnings: not much going on

Disclaimer: don't own

beta'd by -Nightly Halo-.

* * *

Sunlight streamed in from his right. It was gentle and warm, comforting. He breathed in, his eyes still shut tight, still lost in the haze of peaceful sleep. It was nice, he decided. Nice, to feel this warmth again. Very nice…

He shut his eyes more tightly together. No. He wouldn't wake from this nice dream. Not yet. He wasn't ready to experience it all again. To remember.

But the sunlight wouldn't let him. It shifted and landed on his eyes, and he opened them, blinking away the bright light on his blue irises. He turned on the soft bed, took a deep breath, and burrowed back into the warm sheets.

Very nice, to be home again.

His eyebrows furrowed, his eyes still shut.

Wait. This wasn't home. It couldn't be. Sunlight came in from the opposite side, and never shone on his face.

Eyes opened again and he slowly sat up, his head spinning with dizziness he wasn't expecting. He rubbed his head, his whole body feeling numb, his limbs slow and heavy. He held his head in his hands, his mind blanking to everything but the dizziness.

He took deep breaths as his vision cleared, the wooziness subsiding, and shifted in the warm, fluffy bed. He blinked and looked down at the clothes he wore. Definitely not clothes he recognized; they were pale blue and silky, obviously expensive pajamas. Hm. That was most definitely strange.

He took this time to peer about the room, taking in the new surroundings, looking at the expensive furniture, elegant décor, peaceful lighting. He frowned and moved to get out of the bed.

His stomach growled lightly as his feet touched the cold wooden surface of the floor. He licked his parched lips and opted to go in search of food. Maybe he'd figure out where the hell he was and what was going on.

He took one wobbly step forward, having to clutch at the bed to steady himself. He took another step, still blinking away the rushing disorienting feeling, the fatigue, trying to battle his practically starved stomach.

Really, this was all strange. After all, the last thing he remembered was the street, and the rain.

Where was this place he now found himself in?

He took a deep breath, steadying his nerves and senses before taking another timid step forward, then another. He soon regained his balance, though not perfectly, and moved forward. He found his way to the closed door, reached out unsteadily, his arm shaking from lack of use, and grabbed the door knob, turned slowly and, with a little difficulty, weak as he was, opened the door.

He blinked back in surprise and stared from the doorway at the room he now occupied. It was large, just as elegantly and tastefully decorated as the room he was just in, but this one was larger- a living room- and he could see a kitchen to his left, a dining area to the far right, and French doors leading to a balcony to his immediate right.

He frowned.

This _definitely_ was not making any sense.

He took another weak step forward into his new surroundings, trying to figure this all out. But no matter how much he scrunched his face up in confusion, the situation never revealed a clear, less baffling picture.

The blond took another step, nearly falling over as he reached open area, before he quickly reached out to the closest wall, backtracking a bit in order to get a hold. He felt his breath fail him for a moment, the exhaustion once more taking hold, before looking back up and blinking away the, once more, returned dizziness.

The room returned into focus and he took another deep breath, steadying himself before he took another step, courageously walking further into the room with nothing to keep him balanced.

Moving forward another few feet at a time, he once more gazed around the strange room. The light filtered in from the open curtains over the French doors which lead to the balcony, and, as he had never had a balcony before, he moved toward it, hoping he could, not only enjoy the view, but maybe get an idea where he was. It was as he was slowly making his way past the couch that something dark and… pointy-ish, caught his attention.

He turned toward it, his face tilting to the side, his features once more scrunching in confusion, as he made his way around the couch to get a better view. He gripped the top of the white leather softly as he moved steadily and slowly around it. He stopped abruptly when a body came into view, resting comfortably on the soft cushions, the sleeping face drawing all of the blond's attention.

Hmm, he looked familiar.

Dark hair, with almost a bluish tint, spiked in the back. Pale but handsome face. Perfectly shaped dark brows, a frown.

The young blond stifled a giggle. Honestly, who frowns in their sleep?

The soft sound caused the sleeping man's face to contort, a sign he was waking. Blue eyes grew large. What if this man got mad he was wandering around his house? Why was the blond even here in the first place?

The young man gulped and took a step back away from the couch until his silk-clad back hit the white painted wall as the dark haired man's dark eyes opened.

Their eyes met and the blond suddenly remembered everything, just before his vision went black once more.

* * *

**Updated: 5/9/2013**


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry I'm a little later in the day than usual. I was distracted for the great majority of the day. But now, just before my later afternoon nap, I shall leave you with this lovely (but just as short as always) chapter. Enjoy the fury that is Itachi's egotism .

Warnings: and angry Itachi

Disclaimer: still don't own

beta'd by -Nightly Halo-. yatta!

* * *

Oh yes, Itachi was pissed. And really, he had every right to be. No one- NO ONE had the right to trick Uchiha Itachi. Especially when it concerned his beloved younger brother, whom he would watch over and protect no matter what.

So Itachi might have been a little bit obsessive on this point, often just pissing off said younger brother, especially on the many (failed) attempts to get him laid. What could he say. He tried.

It was all for that dear little brother.

But now, in the aftermath of that night of scheming and trickery, he was in a rage. A cool rage, of course. No one could accuse Uchiha Itachi of showing such weaknesses as _emotion_. So he fumed silent, deadly fumes.

There were many corpses in his wake this morning.

He not so calmly walked through the hallway toward his brother's room. The maid, Masako or whatever her name was, was nowhere to be found. That did not make for a happy Itachi.

So he turned to take out his silent but oh-so-deadly rage on that beloved younger brother of his. After all, that Michiko or whatever was under the generous and gentle Sasuke's supervision. She was _his_ servant. That's why the marvelous Itachi had taken it upon himself to believe her and go to that god-forsaken whore house or whatever the hell it was (it was a late-night supermarket filled with old housewives playing bingo) and search out his most beloved family member and this so-called "lover".

Lover. That Misaki had really pulled one on him…

Though, in a way, he had to congratulate her. She really knew how to do it. Not just anyone could say they had tricked Uchiha Itachi.

He nodded once, deciding to spare her the full blown torture and maybe just dock her pay. He couldn't fire her (unfortunately), but that sweet baby brother of his would never allow it.

Really, Itachi sighed, Sasuke was far too kind.

He pulled open the door to Sasuke's room and found it…

Empty. The young Uchiha hadn't come home.

If Itachi wasn't pissed before, now he was going to end up burning the house down from the radioactive fumes emanating from his body. And where better to start than by tearing apart that cute blond the caring Sasuke had rescued?

A wicked grin crossed the elder's face as he turned to the next door and pulled it open.

The fumes went out.

Empty.

The room was empty, just as the other had been.

No cute blonds occupied the pristine white sheets.

Oh yes. That Mina had played him well.

* * *

**Updated: 5/9/2013**


	12. Chapter 12

Yeah, so in a couple of hours I am going out of town for the weekend, and since I do9n't know my chances of having working internet over there, I decided it would be best to post now. So be happy, you get the chapter a day early! However, next week, it will be back to Fridays.

Warnings: another short chapter

Disclaimer: don't own

beta'd by -Nightly Halo-

* * *

"Shit," Sasuke muttered, standing and rubbing the back of his neck to massage out the crick before making his way to the once more prone blond. Carefully he scooped him off the floor and carried him back toward the room.

Gently he laid the blond back in bed and pulled the sheets up. Sasuke took a step back, the fact that the blond woke up finally registering in his mind.

He stared at the blond for a moment, his face once more in its peaceful sleep state, before the onyx eyed man took a deep breath. His eyes closed for a moment, feeling it all come together, and he let a small smile trace his mouth before his eyes reopened, once more determined.

He took one last look at the blond before he turned and headed back out of the room and toward the kitchen. Now that he was awake, he could feel the coming pangs of hunger, not being able to recall what he had eaten the night before. With the prospect of the blond being moved, he wasn't sure he had eaten at all.

And now that the blond was no longer unconscious, he would likely be hungry after waking up again as well.

Quickly and as efficiently as ever, he made a quick breakfast for himself before he searched through the kitchen cabinets and pulled out a packet left by Mariko, one of those special light meals for the blond once he finally woke.

As Sasuke prepared it, he frowned to himself. Didn't Tsunade say the blond was supposed to be out for at least a week or something? It hadn't been that long, had it?

He paused and moved toward the table, where his papers from work had been left, going through them to find his planner, pulling it out from the pile, flipping through the pages. It had been Friday night when he found the blond, and today was Tuesday. That was only, what, four days?

The frown grew. His phone rang.

"What," he growled into the line, not happy his thoughts had been interrupted.

"Sasuke…"

Said man's onyx eyes closed in irritation. "What Itachi."

The line was silent a moment, and Sasuke could almost feel the waves of violent intent radiating through the line.

"Where's the blond? Where are you?"

"Hn. What's with the concern, Aniki?"

The grinding of teeth. Lovely. Sasuke smiled; he loved pissing his brother off.

"Last night…" A pause. "No, never mind. Where are you."

"Around."

Growling. "What did you do with the blond."

"Nothing much. Stuff."

Silence.

Wait. Something might have backfired there…

His face fell into his hand as he could nearly hear the wicked smile cross his brother's evil face.

"Oooh, I see. Perhaps that Minami won't be in such trouble after all…"

Sasuke frowned. "What? Who?"

"No worries, little brother. Have fun. Enjoy your blond. Perhaps I'll spend the day snooping, find out where you're keeping your cute new lover. I was wondering why you had taken him in. Now I understand."

"No," Sasuke ground out. "You don't understand anything. And don't you dare start snooping-"

"Yes, yes, whatever you say, dear little brother. I have much work to do today. Oh, and take the day off from work. I'm sure you're… _busy_."

"Itachi!"

The line went dead.

"Damnit!" Sasuke slammed the phone on the counter, nearly spilling the contents of a nearby bowl.

He took a deep breath and looked at the bowl, remembering the topic he had been immersed in just a few blissful minutes ago. His blond was awake. He seemed to be fine, a little early perhaps, but alive and well. And now the younger Uchiha could get answers to those questions which continued to relentlessly bombard him.

He finished preparing the soup before quickly eating his breakfast, then made his way back to the blond's room.

It was fine for now. All he had to do was wait.

* * *

**Updated: 5/9/2013**


	13. Chapter 13

I love the number thirteen...

And here it is, at last at last! Naruto wakes up and... OMG... stays awake!

Yup yup. So, plot's really gonna start picking up from this point on. Now that Naruto is awake all his angst will be coming into the story (and there's a lot). So just as a little warning (so hopefully people will actually read my author's note and not comment on this), Naruto is a little timid and, as my beta referred to it, "being really fucking uke-y", but there is a reason. After all, he did wake up from being out of it for a while, and before that he went through a whole lot of shit (which we will find out what in due time, mwahahahaha).

Anyways, enjoy!

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: read author's note above

beta'd by -Nightly Halo-

* * *

Once more blue eyes slowly came open, trying once again to focus on the strange ceiling above him, trying to separate memory, dream, and reality. It was still linked together into one big blur.

He took a deep breath, a strange smell coming to his nose. It was unfamiliar, but nice. He blinked, the edges of his vision at last clearing, and he turned his head to the smell and the dark figure hovering beside him. His eyes widened.

"Hn. You seem to have a habit of passing out in front of me." Blue eyes blinked at the words the deep voice had just spoken.

His mouth opened. His eyes blinked once more, his vision trying to go out again before refocusing on the man standing beside the bed he lay in. And finally, in such eloquent words, he spoke-

"Huh?"

"Kami, you're an idiot."

The tan face scrunched up, those strange scars twisting on firm tan cheeks. "Hey." His voice was hoarse. "You can't call me that. You don't even know me. Bastard."

The man's pale face grew softer, his deep, dark eyes taking on a lighter shade. "Then perhaps we should get to know each other. That way I can freely call you an idiot."

The blond pouted, and Sasuke just about passed out from loss of blood to the head, as most seemed to either make its way to his nose or down south. He turned away and pulled a tissue from a nearby box as the blond cocked his head curiously to the side, big blue eyes watching.

Sasuke blew his nose, just to be sure, and tossed the bunched up (bloody) tissue before turning back to the still mostly prone young man.

He took a deep breath, licked his lips, and spoke. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. You are?" He leaned back against the dresser behind him, crossing his arms and waiting for the answer to his first, and probably most important question.

"Um, Naruto. I'm… Uzumaki Naruto."

"Hn." He sounded rude, uncaring, but a small smile traced his lips. Naruto. So that was the blond's name…

Naruto's eyes grew soft as he watched the man, that faint trace of a smile making the man's handsome features even more so. At the startling thought, the blond turned away and fidgeted with the sheets. He sat up, fast at first, but at the rush of dizziness to his head, he moved more slowly as he pulled the sheets down to his waist.

"Um… so… w-where am I?" Naruto asked softly. He looked up and glanced around the room, recalling the strange place he had found himself upon waking earlier that morning.

The small smile grew and transformed into a nearly wicked looking smirk, but the blond wasn't looking. He was still fidgeting with the sheets, unsure of what to do.

"Is this your home? It's… really nice," Naruto continued, finally looking up. The smirk vanished from the pale man's face, returning to his normal blank expression. Naruto took a deep breath and continued. "I mean, really. It's…Um, thanks. You know, for… for taking me in after I passed out and all. Hey, what is today? How long have I been here?"

The blond looked up, fixing those big blue eyes on onyx, pinning the other man where he stood.

Dark eyelashes swept downward in a slow blink before those dark eyes once more turned to the blond, studying him much as he had before when the blond had still been lying unconscious under those clean white sheets.

"We met last Friday night, when you first passed out. I took you to my house and called a doctor. You've been out for about four days."

"O-oh." Naruto looked down at his hands, his eyes once more wide as he thought over this new information. He twiddled his fingers and bit on his lip, the action drawing the attention of a pair of dark eyes. Then blue irises swept back up and studied the pale man before him, taking in the handsome appearance, the lanky but attractive figure, and the delicate features, all packaged in black. Black hair, black eyes, and wrinkled, casual black clothes (he had slept in them).

"So, um…" He took a deep breath and moved to get out of bed. He still felt stiff and thus moved stiffly. Sasuke jumped slightly in surprise, not expecting the movement.

"Wha-"

"I don't…" The blond stood and faced the other man who had taken care of him and smiled bravely, trying to ignore the fear that began to assault him at what he knew was waiting for him, that route which he had no choice but to take. "…Really have anything to offer you as thanks. I wish I did, but…" He pursed his lips and bowed as deeply as he could.

Promptly the world started spinning again and he could feel himself toppling over, shutting his eyes tightly, fully expecting to come into contact with the hard floor any second now. To his surprise, he didn't.

His eyes opened to an upside down view of dark hair, dark eyes, one dark eyebrow which was probably raised, but looked like it was hanging down to the floor, and what was an amused smirk that looked like a frown.

"T-thanks," Naruto murmured.

Sasuke nodded and set him back on his feet, but kept his hands on him, continuing to hold him steady. The contact felt strange to Naruto, not used to it from strangers. And this handsome man being the one holding him, being so nice to him…

He could feel his cheeks heat up as he tried to calm down.

"U-um… as I was saying," he continued, his cheeks still warm, "I wish there was some way I could thank you. I…" He paused and turned slowly to face the other man, looking at him for a moment before his gaze returned to the polished hardwood surface of the floor.

Sasuke was silent a moment, before at last he spoke.

"I'm sure you must be hungry. I fixed your breakfast for you. Nothing too much, and soft, since you've been unconscious. Doctor's orders." Dark eyes watched as the blond looked up and sent him a startled expression. "Come on."

He smirked and made his way to the door and the kitchen, waiting for the blond- Naruto- to follow.

Naruto did so slowly, holding onto the wall as he made his way after Sasuke, heading toward the kitchen where the food waited. He was pointed toward a seat at the counter, and he sat stiffly as a bowl was placed in front of him.

"Thanks again," he finally started just before he took a bite. He really was starving. "You really don't have to do all this for me. I mean, I have no way of paying you after all…"

"Are you homeless?"

"Wha…?" Naruto looked up at the question, his eyes going wide and the spoon hanging above the bowl, oatmeal dripping off. The question was so sudden, and he just knew this man must know the answer. And he was definitely embarrassed as his face heated up.

"Um… yeah. I am."

"So then, you have nothing?"

Naruto's eyes widened as he once more focused his gaze on those dark eyes and he bit his lip before casting his gaze downwards again. "Yeah. Nothing."

"No job?"

Head shake.

"No family?"

Again a no.

"No friends you can go to?"

Hard head shake.

"No money?"

Another negative.

Sasuke closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Better than he expected.

Dark eyes opened once more to refocus on the blond who now seemed hesitant to eat, now that his savior knew he had absolutely nothing with which to pay him back.

The raven haired man smirked. "Better eat. You'll need your strength so you can get better. I have to make a few calls, and I might as well make use of my day off." Naruto watched him curiously as he headed over to grab his jacket from the rack by the door and slipped his shoes on.

The younger Uchiha looked back before he pulled the door open to find blue eyes on him once more. He smirked and called back his goodbye, "Hope you like it here, this is your new apartment."

He shut the door behind him to the sound of the spoon falling to the floor.

* * *

**Updated: 5/26/2013**


	14. Chapter 14

Okay, so the plot is still picking up, and in this chapter you learn a little tiny bit more about Naruto. And he's not so uke-y in this chapter...

Otherwise, not much to say. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: not really any...

beta'd by -Nightly Halo-, who is probably wondering where the hell the next chapters are...

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto was very confused. He was still a bit groggy from being unconscious for four days, so taking everything in was a bit difficult. But really, he knew he only had himself to blame. After all, after everything that had happened, he had pretty much just given up. If Sasuke hadn't found him, he would have died. He was ready to die…

He sighed and bent over to pick up the fallen spoon which had left the majority of its contents on the nice hardwood floors. Sasuke was probably gonna be mad about that mess if he didn't clean it. He had said it was Naruto's apartment, but that was absurd. He must have been teasing him. As if some stranger would just _give _him such a nice apartment. Yeah right.

He got up and made his way around the counter, dropped spoon in hand, other hand gripping the counter for balance, and searched for a new spoon.

It was a bit unsettling. Everything looked so new. And there were no dirty dishes.

The young blond started to get nervous. What if that weirdo had been serious? What if he really meant to give this place to Naruto?

But that couldn't be. They didn't even know each other. Naruto was positive about that. He'd definitely remember having met such a good-looking guy.

He took a deep breath and pulled out a clean spoon from a drawer, reaching over the counter and pulling the bowl towards himself. As he ate, he glanced around the room, contemplating how neat and pretty everything was. And the furniture looked expensive.

As blue eyes scanned the room, they came to rest on a bookshelf on the far wall. He scooped up the last of his food and dumped the bowl and spoons in the sink, not bothering to rinse them or take the time to put them in the dishwasher.

Slowly he made his way toward that bookshelf, wanting to see what books rested there. He nearly tripped a few times, his vision still a little blurry, but he continued bravely on, intent on those books.

Most people who had known the blond through the years would never have considered the boy's love for books. He had always been hyperactive, a prankster, always with a smile on his face. He loved to be outdoors, and he loved to wander for hours among the trees of the forest his house had been so close to.

But out of everything, the thing he loved most was books. But if anyone had thought about it, it would make perfect sense, considering…

Naruto bit his lip as he made it to the bookshelf, eyes scanning the titles. He frowned. There weren't a lot of books there, and none of them looked like anything worth reading. He reached out and took a heavy tome, flipping through the pages. But he grimaced as he tried to scan the words. It looked dull.

He sighed and replaced it on the shelf.

He glanced at his surroundings again, ready to take a nap. Yeah, that sounded nice. Maybe things would make more sense when he felt less dizzy.

He was just about the make his way back to the room when he heard the door opening behind him. Thinking perhaps that guy had come back and maybe he could get some answers, he turned around.

But standing in the doorway was an older girl, maybe early to mid-twenties, shoulder length dark hair, and brown eyes that were focused on him. The clothes she wore were neatly pressed and she held a white cloth hanging over her arm. She studied Naruto for a moment before she smiled and closed the door behind her.

"Hello. It's certainly nice to see you awake, young Sir."

Naruto blinked at her curiously a few minutes before he nodded slowly in acknowledgment.

"My name is Mariko," she continued as she made her way to the kitchen. She set down some items she had been carrying in a bag he hadn't noticed, tucked under the white garment. "And you are, Sir?"

"Huh? Oh, right. Sorry." Naruto smiled as best he could and made his way toward the bar stool he had occupied when that Sasuke guy had been here. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto."

Mariko nodded and began moving about the kitchen, putting away the items she had brought along with her. The white garment she efficiently unfolded and wrapped around herself (it turned out to be an apron) and set to work.

Naruto watched her a while, blue eyes following as she put away fresh groceries, washed the dishes in the sink, and then began pulling out pots and pans, started chopping away at some vegetables she had rescued from the fridge, and began making lunch.

"So, Naruto-sama, I hope you are feeling much better now?"

He blinked from his nearly hypnotized state as he realized she had spoken to him and seemingly expected an answer. "Oh, yes, thank you." He smiled at her warmly, and she returned the gesture.

"Sasuke-sama called me and said you were awake but didn't seem to be quite well yet. But perhaps a nice filling lunch will hit the spot." She smiled at him again and returned to her job of dutifully chopping up whatever ingredients seemed to suit her purpose, and Naruto continued to watch.

"So," he finally began, deciding to break the silence and maybe get some of his questions answered. He munched on his bottom lip a moment as he contemplated how best to go about asking his most pressing question. Mariko waited patiently as she heated up some water on the stove, adding flavorings and stirring.

"So, that guy, um, Sasuke or whatever…"

"Sasuke-sama, yes?"

"Yeah. He was saying something that kinda confused me a bit."

"Oh? Usually Sasuke-sama is quite clear about things. Perhaps if you tell me what he said, I can help clear them up." She smiled again and returned to cutting up some new ingredients.

Naruto scrunched up his face as he thought it over. "Well, I guess if you think about it, the words themselves were pretty clear… ish, but it just doesn't make sense. I mean, all he said was that this place was apparently my new apartment, but-"

A small sound of surprise reached his ears and he turned to look at Mariko, who was watching him intently.

"Sasuke-sama actually said that?"

"Um, yeah."

She took a deep breath and returned to dumping the cut up ingredients into the pot before she made any reply.

"Well, I did have a hunch that perhaps Sasuke-sama had such a thing in mind, but I didn't honestly think that was his purpose. But, well, maybe he just meant _temporarily_." She smiled at him brightly and began stirring.

Naruto sighed in relief. "Yeah, that must be it. I mean, why would he _give_ this place to me. That doesn't make any sense."

Mariko nodded in agreement, though she couldn't help thinking there was still something not quite right about it all.

"Well, if nothing else, perhaps Sasuke-sama will clear it up for you later, hmm?"

Naruto smiled and nodded, feeling better now that he was a little less confused.

"By the way, where is Sasuke-sama? I thought he was still here."

Naruto shook his head. "He left a while ago. Said he was gonna take advantage of his day off or something."

Mariko paused to muse over the new information before nodding and resuming her work.

"So, um, Mariko-san, what is it exactly that you're doing here?"

She laughed gently and waved him off. "I'm the maid. Why don't you go watch some TV, Naruto-sama. It'll be a while before lunch is ready."

He sighed and nodded. He always knew a dismissal when he heard one. _But really_, he thought as he trudged over to the couch he had found Sasuke sleeping on earlier, _are maids supposed to give orders?_

* * *

**Updated: 5/26/2013**


	15. Chapter 15

Here you go, continuing on with Naruto's now much confused life. Not much to comment on this chapter, so I shall leave you with that. Enjoy!

Disclamer: not mine

Warnings: insubordinate maids

beta'd by -Nightly Halo-.

* * *

After a few bites of yummy food, Naruto came to a decision. _Yeah_, he decided, _I like the maid_. He smiled at his happy thought and continued stuffing as much food as possible into his mouth.

Mariko was cleaning up the unused bits and pieces of vegetable, the dirty dishes, and all around making the kitchen presentable again.

He continued to happily devour the meal as the door to the apartment opened, the ruckus it caused nearly making the food backtrack. Naruto looked up to see an irritated looking Sasuke kicking off his shoes roughly, dropping a bag he held with no regard to its contents' safety.

"Sasuke-sama, okaeri(1). Is something the matter?"

"Mariko, what the hell did you tell Itachi," Sasuke growled as he made his way toward the pair. "Do you have any idea what that sadistic freak did? No… never mind. What I want to know is what gave you the idea it was okay to tell him I was meeting my _lover_ last night."

"Well," Mariko began, no regret sounding in her voice, "you told me to distract him. I did. Exactly as you said, Sasuke-sama."

"No, not exactly as I said," he continued in his cool, fury-laden voice (Uchiha's were good at that, yelling without raising their voices). "Nowhere in my instructions did I tell you to give that bastard any ideas. I've now had to spend my morning tying up any so-called leads my brother might come across in his damn snooping."

But as always, Mariko, who had been raised to serve the glorious Uchiha, was unaffected. "I only did as instructed Sasuke-sama. Whatever ideas Itachi-sama might have gotten from such a suggestion has nothing to do with me."

The next few moments were silent as Mariko found herself the unfortunate victim of the "Uchiha Glare of Certain Death."

Meanwhile, Naruto had been watching in slight amusement, eating his food peacefully to the side as the two contested over this "Itachi" person. And still the blond wondered about maids… _Do they always talk back to their master? Is that normal?_ Because however well-off the young blond might have been in his past life, he had never had such a thing as a maid.

At last the younger Uchiha noticed the blond was still sitting at the counter, watching with curious blue eyes. He turned his dark-eyed gaze on his guest, and for a few minutes they watched each other curiously.

Then Sasuke spoke. "Mariko, what is he eating?"

"Vegetable Soup, Sasuke-sama."

The spoon was taken from Naruto's hand, to the blond's indignation, and the older man stirred the contents. "This has solids in it. Instructions specified he wasn't to have anything solid for a while."

"Sasuke-sama, you take such things far too seriously. He needs something more filling than those muddy glops Tsunade-sensei provided."

Naruto's eyes widened and his mouth opened, but he was ignored.

"Instructions from a doctor are absolute. There is no modifying on such things."

"Sasuke-sama, you really expect poor Naruto-sama to eat that every day, every meal?"

"If that's what the doctor says…"

"Um, I feel fine, you know." Two sets of eyes swiveled toward the new speaker. Naruto gently pulled his spoon back out of the pale man's hand and took another spoonful. He chewed and swallowed, his audience still following his every move. "I'm not even dizzy anymore."

Reaching over, Sasuke fixed his palm to the blond's forehead, said blond quickly turning a healthy pink at the soft, warm touch. Dark eyes met with sky blue and softened.

The older man pulled away and sighed. "Fine, I'll call Tsunade-sensei and have her come check on you again, now that you're awake. In the meantime, soups only."

Taking for granted his orders would be obeyed (after all, who doesn't obey an Uchiha?), he made his way back to the door and retrieved his bag, then made his way to the bedroom Naruto had woken in earlier, vanishing through the doorway.

"Sasuke-sama, there's still more stew if you're hungry," Mariko called after him.

"I'll eat later," was returned.

"Very well. I'm leaving now, Sasuke-sama."

What sounded like a grunt of acknowledgment was the only response.

Mariko smiled at the blond and removed the apron, then made her way back to the doorway, pulling on her shoes and stepping out.

So Naruto was left in the kitchen alone and unattended, a full pot of soup still on the stove and an empty bowl before him.

His stomach rumbled.

He smiled brightly. "Don't mind if I do," he said aloud, and served himself another helping.

* * *

(1) Okaeri - Welcome home (informal version of okaerinasai)

* * *

**Updated: 5/26/2013**


	16. Chapter 16

Alright! We're finally getting to another major part of the plot! So in other words, this is an important chapter. And don't worry, as always, you will get the next chapter next Friday. It's all ready and waiting, as well as the chapter after that. So, Enjoy!

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: nothing really yet...

beta'd by -Nightly Halo-, who was very glad she was beta after reading this chapter

* * *

When Sasuke re-emerged from the bedroom, the blond was sitting peacefully on the couch, the TV on at high volume. It was set to a news network, stories of recent events of interest blaring across the screen in a melee of bright colors.

His hair was dripping wet, the dark strands hanging low over his face, a simple white button down shirt, open and exposing his pale chest, and a simple pair of black slacks, his only clothing. A fluffy dark blue towel was wrapped around his neck.

Slowly he made his way toward the blond, leaning over the back of the couch to look at Naruto's sleeping face. It was amazing, Sasuke thought, that he could sleep with the volume on so loud.

He shook his mind of the thought and headed over to the kitchen to get some food, his bare feet silently crossing the polished hardwood floor. A new story filled the room, but Sasuke didn't pay much attention. Something about a prosperous family and its inheritance, something else about a writer and his estranged family. What did Sasuke care. Unless it was about his family and its further rise in the business world, nothing else mattered. After all, his family held more influence than most others in Japan.

The dark eyed man sighed as he stepped over to the pot of soup and ladled a bit. He wondered, briefly, why Mariko had made so little food…

His stomach beginning to rumble its annoyance of no food being delivered to it, he made his way through the kitchen, pulling out a bowl and a spoon, a glass to fill with ice, then reached for a drink from the refrigerator. He placed everything on the counter and filled his bowl with the remainder of the stew.

A pale hand lifted his spoon to his lips and looked over at the couch. The blond still slept, the news was going on about some new expectation for the pet industry (highly anticipated), and he turned back to his meal. Honestly, what was the big deal with pets in Japan…

He ate slowly, his dark eyes moving from the bowl, to the spoon, to the blond, his mind thinking over all those things he still needed to do. Mostly, however, he pondered his next move. Now that the blond was awake, it was nearing time to make his proposal. That proposal he had been anticipating since he had decided to take the unconscious blond home.

The last bit of stew crossed his lips and he reached into his pocket, drawing out his cell phone to check the time. It was already 1:30, his morning having gone by quickly.

He cast one more glance toward the couch, the blond strands peeking out over the top of the soft material. Dark eyes stayed focused on those golden strands for a while longer as some Pocky commercial rang through the apartment, random people in elaborate costumes dancing to the Pocky theme song. Vaguely he wondered how long the blond would sleep. After all, that's all he'd been doing since they met.

Sasuke sighed. If all the blond did was sleep, this would make things much more difficult.

But just as his mind finished the thought, Naruto stirred in his sleep, a content sounding yawn making itself heard even over the loudness of the TV. A blue eye made itself seen over the top of the couch, watching the man standing by the counter, leaning casually over the marble surface.

Naruto gulped at the picture presented to him and turned away, his cheeks warm. He sat up on the couch and yawned again, finally noticing how loud the TV was. He frowned.

"Why is the TV so loud?" He shouted above the volume as he grabbed the remote and lowering it.

"Hn. That's how it was when I came to get food," Sasuke replied from the counter, his dark eyes still fixed on the blond.

Naruto stretched and stood up, his legs a little wobbly for a while, before at last he regained his balance and made his way to the man who had taken him in.

"Um," Naruto blushed a bit, his hand going to the back of his head, rubbing it through his golden hair nervously, "About earlier…"

A perfectly shaped dark eyebrow went up, waiting for his guest to continue.

"Well, I mean, maybe I was still way out of it or something, but… Well… you made it sound like… like you were _giving_ this place to me." He made sure to make is sound as absurd as he knew it must be, looking around the room nervously.

A corner of the handsome man's lips shifted upward, smirking at the blond's discomfort. "Of course not. It would be ridiculous for me to just give you a fully furnished apartment. Just as absurd as it would be for me to supply you with clothes, food, money for you to buy things for your own enjoyment… Idiot."

Naruto turned bright red, laughing nervously. His hand fell to his side, and it was then that he noticed his heart was racing. And that he was still wearing those blue silk pajamas.

"Yeah, so… If you could just get me my clothes back, I'll be out of your way." He made to move back toward the bedroom, expecting his clothes to be in there somewhere, when he was once more stopped by the Uchiha's deep voice.

"Obviously, you'll only get all of those things I mentioned once you agree to some terms."

Naruto blinked blue eyes at the doorway to the bedroom, unsure of what he had just heard. Slowly, he turned back to the dark-eyed man, looking at him suspiciously.

"What?"

Sasuke stood up and walked over to the blond, looking him over like he was inspecting him for the tiniest flaw. He seemed not to find one, but the inspection was enough to thoroughly embarrass the younger boy.

When he thought he wouldn't be able to hold back his discomfort any longer, the older man spoke. "I told you I took you home after you passed out in the rain. I took you to my family's mansion. I don't live in this apartment."

Naruto's head tilted to focus blue eyes on obsidian, waiting for him to continue.

"I bought this place, furnished it, had Mariko buy new clothes and stock up the kitchen with food- all for you."

His eyes widened as he continued to watch Sasuke speak in that deep, breath-taking voice, telling him information he just couldn't seem to get his mind around.

"You… you _bought _this place… for _me_? Why?" The last word came out in a whisper, his face revealing all the confusion he felt.

They stood in silence a moment, both taking each other in, Naruto trying desperately to understand.

"When I saw you, I came to a decision. You said you have no where to go, no friends or family, no home or money… I'll give you everything you want. You won't need anything. Like I said, this apartment is yours, and everything in it. I even set up a bank account for you, specifically so you could use the money to buy whatever you want."

Naruto bit his bottom lip, his eyes unable to pull away from the dark eyes of the man before him, inches taller but seeming so much bigger.

"Anything and everything is yours."

Stuck in silence for so long, Naruto finally found his voice, but just barely, it came out softly. "And the catch?"

The smirk reappeared. "There is a catch. One thing I want in return from you. Only from you."

"I-I can't give you anything. I told you, I don't have anything to give."

The smirk grew and the man took a step closer. Naruto gulped loudly. "There is one thing."

Naruto held his breath, eyes still held by the handsome man standing so close, he could almost feel the body heat radiating between them. "What?" he asked again, just as quietly.

"You."


	17. Chapter 17

Here we go, next chapter! Now we'll be getting Naruto's response and such . Anyways, I'm glad everyone likes where the story is going, and I hope it continues to satisfy you all.

Also, I have the next chapter of SA ready, but I won't be able to post it until my beta responds to my email, so I might post either tonight or tomorrow.

Warnings: uh... not sure

Disclaimer: don't own

beta'd by -Nightly Halo-. Don't worry, I want to finish at least one more chapter before I send you what I have written recently.

* * *

"I want you, Uzumaki Naruto. Your body, your devotion, maybe even, eventually, your love."

Naruto blinked wide blue eyes. He could hardly understand what this man was asking him. Everything in this apartment, all the money he would ever need, all of it, for his body?

Thoughts swirled through his mind. In a flash he tried to reconcile everything in his mind, trying to make sense of it all, put it together.

"I-"

"No need to answer now. You're still not fully recovered. Think it over. But I think you'll see, this is the best you could hope for. I'll provide you everything, you won't have to worry about anything anymore. I'm offering you the perfect life."

Naruto frowned. "In exchange for my body. You mean, like, sex, right?"

The smirk dropped a little. Silence.

"Maybe."

Naruto turned away. "I'm not some slut or anything. I don't need time to think about it. My answer is no."

After all the careful planning, Sasuke could feel the rage entering him. He couldn't let all his plans go to waste. He knew himself, he wouldn't find another who made him react like this. It had to be the blond.

"Uzumaki, I'm not taking no for an answer. You have no where else to go. You'll be getting everything you'll ever need or want. All I ask is-"

He had never thought someone could make such an angry glare who wasn't an Uchiha. But here he was, staring down into the incredibly blue eyes of a beautiful young man who was glaring death at him.

"I told you. I am not going to be your whore."

Naruto took a step back, however, at the sound that emanated from the taller man, a sound that seemed suspiciously like a growl.

"You say you're not some slut, fine. Better, actually. I, like all Uchiha's, don't like having other people lay fingers on my things. I would rather you be pure. But for your information, Uzumaki, I am not looking for a slut or a whore I can fuck senseless any time I want. I wouldn't need to waste millions of yen if that's what I wanted. Girls, and guys, would line up the fucking block for a chance to be fucked by me. And you know what, if it weren't for the fact that I seem to be either asexual or impotent with anyone but you, who I can't seem to stay calm around, I wouldn't have bothered with any of this."

He couldn't believe it, Uchiha Sasuke was actually losing his temper with this blond idiot. He took a deep breath, shut his eyes, and ran a hand through his hair in aggravation. His dark locks were still damp, but drying.

He opened his eyes, the weariness of having so much to deal with all at once finally getting to him. "Whatever, think about it. Decide whatever the hell you want. If you want to leave, I'll have Mariko get your stuff from the Uchiha Manor. Either way, you're not allowed to leave until Tsunade gives the okay." He paused to take a deep breath in irritation and glanced at his watch. It was a little after 2pm now.

"Do what you want, I'm taking a nap." Sasuke stalked around the prone blond and made his way into the bedroom, collapsing on the bed as soon as he was close enough. The sheets were still unmade from when Naruto had lay in them, but Sasuke didn't care. The way his perfect plan was going, this was probably the closest he was going to get to the blond.

Really, he hated it when his plans didn't go as they were supposed to.

He could feel his mind fading, just about to drift into sleep, when the light sound of bare feet against wood sounded in his ears. He looked over at the doorway, the blond standing there, staring down at his feet.

Naruto wet his lips. "I- I've never…" His cheeks colored, and Sasuke couldn't help thinking how incredibly beautiful he was. "I've never done anything… with anyone. So, I mean, you have to understand how… how _odd_ it is, to be asked to…" He gulped. "To just give someone my body." He looked up, and those breath-taking blue eyes met Sasuke's own dark orbs. "And I… I don't even know you."

He took a step further into the room, seeming to be ready to give his own little speech. "How can you expect me to just _agree_ to all this? It's more than I ever had, more than I ever expected. And after everything… everything that's happened…" His voice seemed to fade away, and Sasuke sat up, intrigued.

"How old are you?" he found himself asking, unable to take his gaze away from Naruto.

Naruto looked away. "Nineteen."

Sasuke sat up further. "I'm Twenty-two." He smirked in amusement. "My brother's been trying to get me laid since I was fifteen."

Naruto looked at him, that curious look back on his face.

"But like I said, I seem to be either asexual or impotent." Dark eyes met bright blue. "Until I saw you."

Naruto gulped and bit his lip again. "Is that… is that why you took me in? Just so you could have sex with me? Is that why you decided to give me all of this?" He was frowning again, likely in disgust.

"I already told you, whether you stay or not is your choice."

"But now you already know I have nowhere to go. That's hardly fair."

Sasuke moved to sit at the edge of his bed and looked at Naruto. "Fine. You decide you want to leave, I'll give you enough to get by for awhile. I'm sure you can get a job or something. It's up to you. Think it over. If you decide to stay, it won't just be about sex. I'm not my brother."

The older man rumpled his hair and looked out the window before he spoke again. "Just think about it. You can tell me what you've decided after Tsunade comes, whenever she decides to get off her drunk ass, that is." He flexed his shoulders and leaned against the headboard, watching the blond. "Do what you want."

Naruto sighed and nodded, then walked back out of the room, his mind filled with thoughts.


	18. Chapter 18

Okay, here we go, a new chapter. Some more delving into Naruto's past but only just barely skimming the surface (don't worry, you'll find out his past in a few chapters). Anyways, just lots of contemplation on Naruto's part.

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: bit o' angst

beta'd by -Nightly Halo-.

_

* * *

_

_Really, _Naruto mused as he sat on the couch, flipping through channels,_ do I really have a choice? The bastard knows I have nothing, nowhere to go. But then, I don't know him, how will I know he's not gonna abuse me or something?_ He glanced around the apartment, taking in all the expensive furnishings, the high class taste. He glanced down at the pajamas he was still wearing, the big screen TV he was currently watching. It was all much more than he was used to.

But then, after what had happened, he had expected to live the rest of his, most likely extremely short life, with nothing. No one. Passing out in front of Uchiha Sasuke had been a stroke of luck. Probably. Well, maybe not the passing out part. After all, he hadn't eaten anything substantial in days, and the lack of ramen alone was killing him.

Plus there was the whole lots of rain thing, the cold, the fact he had nothing to wear except the clothes on his back, no jacket, no hat. Even his most precious treasure had been taken from him…

As if to taunt him, he stumbled on another news station, again playing that same story that broke his heart every time. He glared at the pictures on the screen and changed the channel.

Uzumaki Naruto had always been a happy, well-mannered kid, but even he had his limits, and they had been way past breached.

He sighed and went back to the matter at hand. What to do about the pervert in the bedroom?

Should he make a run for it while the guy was sleeping? But he was still only wearing pajamas. He'd have to change first.

Glancing at the time and seeing it was nearing three in the afternoon, he figured changing anyway probably wasn't such a bad idea. Who knew when the last time he'd had a proper bath had been.

Leaving the TV on some cartoons, he got up and made his way to the bedroom where the sexy dark-haired man lay sound asleep. He blushed as he went by as he scolded himself for thinking the guy was good-looking. So what if he was? He was the enemy.

Right?

Quietly so as not to wake the Uchiha, he opened the bathroom door and made his way to what he thought must be the closet. He opened the double doors and his eyes widened. He was standing just at the door to a large walk-in closet, about half of it filled with clothes that all looked new… and about his size.

_The perverted bastard did say something about getting me clothes, didn't he?_ He walked in, looking from one item to another, then spotted the shoes lining the bottom. He had never had so many shoes in his life. He pulled his eyes away from them and back to the colorful articles gracing the many hangers, fingering the cloth, feeling how soft and new they were. He picked out a plain black shirt and selected some jeans, heading back into the bathroom and setting them on the counter. He looked around, wondering where he might find some boxers.

The bastard did say he would provide him with _everything_ he needed, that should mean boxers too, right? That's what Naruto figured, at least, so quietly he made his way back into the bedroom and to the dresser, pulling out drawers to see what all they contained.

He found plenty of clean socks in one, some fresh linens in another, a couple of still empty drawers, and lo-and-behold, a drawer with new boxers neatly folded. It was a bit embarrassing really, thinking that maid had probably been the one handling them. _Must suck being a maid_, he mused.

Heading back to the bathroom, he dug through the cabinet under the sink and found a soft pale blue towel and placed it within easy reach of the tub, then turned on the water. It turned warm quickly, and he pulled off the pajamas and began to wash.

He found everything he needed, just like the bastard said, right there within reach. He washed his hair and body thoroughly, scrubbing in contentment, then rinsed. Just since he could, and wasn't entirely sure when he'd get another bath, he washed again. When deemed clean enough, he slipped into the now filled tub of hot water, soaking happily.

It had been too long since he'd been this relaxed.

He sighed. Well, this wasn't so bad. And if he could be guaranteed this everyday? …Maybe it was worth putting up with the pervert…

He shut his eyes, thinking it all over. This really was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Sasuke was a good-looking guy. Incredibly so. Just like he said, he could have anyone, and the one he wanted… was Naruto.

Naruto's eyes opened and focused on the ceiling. It was a bit flattering, really. And now, if he agreed, he could live the rest of his, now much longer life, in comfort. He could have everything he wanted. Well, not everything. What he wanted most now… he could never have again.

The thought stuck, the reminder. He leaned his head down, moving his knees up, the water sloshing. His forehead rested on his wet knees, and now that he had the time… he cried.

No more restraint, no more hiding, now he had the freedom to cry at last. Now, no more worries of food, bed, warmth, plaguing his mind, the grief was allowed to take hold, and he didn't try to stop it. He realized, as the tears fell and the sobs choked him, he needed this… this moment.

So he cried. He let the warm tears flow freely, mixing into the hot water of the tub. He sniffled and sobbed, the grief in his heart so unbearable, he felt his whole being ripped at the seams. His body shook and his vision swam. He clutched his knees tightly, until at last, the tears began to slowly cease, and he was once more just soaking in the warmth of the water.

He rubbed at his eyes and sniffled one last time before taking a deep breath and rising from the tub. His stomach rumbled.

A smile passed his lips. Even after all that had happened, he still found it amazing, even though his whole world was destroyed, that his body still found the strength to be hungry, or tired, or sick. Or, as he looked toward the door that led back into the bedroom where the raven-haired man slept, to feel shy or embarrassed or...

His cheeks heated up and he proceeded to get away from those thoughts by drying himself with the fluffy towel, happy to feel the soft texture against his weary body, glad to feel clean again. He dressed quickly, the soft fabric feeling comforting and fresh as it slid over his body. Naruto let out a long sigh before he turned to the mirror, grabbing a brush and bushing the damp blond strands of his hair briefly. He didn't bother doing more, it didn't matter. No matter what he did, his hair would end up the same.

Suddenly feeling cheerful, he practically danced out of the room and to the kitchen, ignoring the sleeping lump of sexy dark-haired man on the bed. The blond made his way to the fridge, glancing at the TV, which was now showing some cartoon with a lot of happy little funny looking animals.

Digging through the cold interior of the fridge, he grabbed a bottle of water and pulled out some onigiri which were lying on a white plate. He shut the fridge and, with his new load, headed to the couch.

As the anime continued on, his thoughts wandered as he munched on his snack. All of the comforts of this place, all of the perks of agreeing to the Uchiha's proposition… Really, what more could he hope for? With how things ended up, this was all much more than he could have expected. If he just left, he'd never get another chance like this. And the man himself… well, Naruto was sure sleeping with him wouldn't be a problem. After all, he always had expected himself to be, well, on the other team.

After all, if he had really been interested in girls, why couldn't he do anything with his girlfriend? Not that it mattered now, but still. She had always gotten annoyed when he wouldn't go further than kissing.

He sighed as he looked blankly at the screen. Yeah. After everything that had happened, all the horrible things he had had to face… alone… Why not accept the offer? He had nothing else, no hope of surviving if he didn't take advantage of this once in a lifetime offer.

So then, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after all? Maybe… maybe it would… actually be good for him.

Maybe, if he just said yes, he wouldn't be alone anymore. Never… have to be alone again…


	19. Chapter 19

Well, here we go, next chapter. Now we're really getting somewhere, ne? Heheh. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: me not own

Warnings: ...next time...

beta'd by -Nightly Halo-. I'm still working on trying to make the next chapter not suck.

* * *

The sound of movement coming behind him pulled him from his thoughts, and he turned to see Sasuke walking out of the bedroom, eyes still droopy from sleep, but looking just as attractive, maybe more so, as before.

His hair had dried rumpled, disorganized, and he must have known that, since he was currently running a pale hand through the locks, trying to get them orderly again. He seemed to have forgotten about the blond, because he wasn't looking at anything in particular as he walked toward the kitchen and opened the fridge door.

Naruto continued to watch over the top of the couch as he munched on his onigiri. The TV rumbled on, a battle between a couple of more adult looking anime characters going on.

After a few seconds of just gazing into the open fridge, the Uchiha turned his head toward the blond watching him. Eyes met as Naruto took another bite of onigiri. Sasuke's dark eyes seemed to flash.

"What are you eating," he demanded.

"Onigiri," Naruto answered calmly.

The dark eyes seemed to slit into a glare. "You…" He shifted from his leaned over position and shut the fridge door, "You are eating my food."

Naruto took another bite, his gaze still focused intently on the dark eyed man. "And?"

"You are _eating_ _my_ _food_."

Naruto's blue eyes gazed around the room, once more taking a slow bite of the last of an onigiri. "Hmm, I thought you said this place, and everything in it, including in that fridge, was mine?"

Sasuke paused a moment, dark gaze boring into the blond still leaning over the couch to watch him, said blond taking a bite out of a new onigiri.

"That only applies," he finally began slowly, "if you accept my offer."

Naruto paused in his chewing and gazed around again.

The room would have been silent if only the loud explosions and yelled proclamations of revenge hadn't been coming from the anime showing. As the rumbling of the TV died down, Naruto spoke again.

"I need books. My bookshelf isn't nearly full enough."

Sasuke blinked and took a step forward.

Naruto looked at him again and smiled shyly. "And I'm not happy with the lack of ramen in here. That needs to be fixed."

Sasuke frowned. "What the hell are you-"

But Naruto cut him off to continue on, finishing what he had started, making his final decision. "So, um… Take good care of me, okay? Without you… I'm all alone."

Sasuke watched the blond a moment longer, taking in what he had just said. "So then… you're agreeing? Accepting my offer?" He needed confirmation. A definite "yes" or "no".

"Yeah," Naruto replied, his voice soft so it just barely could be heard over the commercial currently playing behind him. "I agree."

Sasuke's eyes widened momentarily before a smirk appeared upon his pale, handsome face. "You do, hmm?" Oh yes, his plans had come together quite nicely, if a little later than anticipated.

So the two continued to stare at each other a bit longer from across the room, Naruto trying to fight down the blush at what he had just agreed to, and Sasuke struggling to force down the smirk and near evil laugh that just wanted to explode. But Uchiha's didn't laugh. Not even evil ones. Though Itachi chuckled evilly sometimes.

Slowly he made his way out of the kitchen and toward the blond, carefully sitting down on the couch beside him. He casually reached over the blond's body to grab the last onigiri from the plate and showily ate it as the blond's face burned red. He was careful to allow the sensuous movements of his tongue to be easily seen, and as he ate the onigiri, he leaned further and further into the blond beside him.

The last bit of rice vanished into his mouth, blue eyes focused on his lips as they moved, and Sasuke smirked again. Naruto swallowed thickly and quickly looked up into dark eyes that were suddenly a whole lot closer than he had remembered. The two were now inches apart.

Naruto swallowed again. "Wh-What are you…?" He whispered hoarsely.

The smirk grew even more just before those pale lips crashed into the blond's slightly parted ones.

Naruto's eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat. He blinked slowly as those lips slowly began to move against his own, his heart started to beat faster and faster, a tingling sensation running up and down his spine. A slow moan escaped his mouth, and suddenly those lips became more harsh, and something wet brushed over his lips and slipped in between them.

The moan was louder and shorter as a wet tongue pushed into his mouth aggressively. He could feel his body being pinned into the back of the couch by Sasuke's warm body, but all other feeling was being lost to the taste of the Uchiha.

Finally the older man pulled away, licking his lips as his dark eyes fixed once more on his blond.

Naruto's cheeks were stained a deep shade of pink and he was panting for breath. The TV was still loud behind them, but both were too focused on getting their emotions back under control to bother paying attention to it.

"S-Sasuke," Naruto muttered.

Sasuke's eyes lowered, the intensity not abating, before ignoring everything else, standing quickly before reaching over and lifting the blond over his shoulder roughly. Naruto squeaked in surprise.

And to Naruto's continued squeaks of protest, Sasuke made his way purposefully into the bedroom.


	20. Chapter 20

Well, here we go, right where we left off last week! So, yesterday I had a major writing spurt and I ended u writing all the way up to chapter 27. Very exciting. Unfortunately for you all, dear readers, you gotta wait. Sorry. Maybe, Maybe, if i get enough lovely reviews, I might be tempted to post two a week for a little while. Frankly, Im quite excited about what I have written and am anxious for your reactions. But, patience is a virtue, and I can wait. Hehe.

But now, what you all have been waiting for... (I upped the rating, yatta!)

Warnings: bit o' smut, bit o' non-con, bit o' angst

Disclamer: don't own

Beta'd by -Nightly Halo-, who never got to beta the revised version of this chapter (if I had let you all read the original, you'd all probably murder me, though you might anyways...)

* * *

"Wait!" Naruto squeaked repeatedly as he was carried away from the screeching TV. "Wh-What are you doing?"

"Hn. Obviously, idiot, I'm planning on consummating our deal."

"Co-consum… _Now_?"

Naruto was definitely starting to panic. He had never done anything like this before, he couldn't even remember ever reacting this much to his former girlfriend. But really, just because he said he agreed, didn't mean he wanted to do it _now_. He had thought, once he agreed, they'd wait at least till it was dark outside; he could still see sunlight outside the window.

But clearly, he wasn't getting a choice on the matter. The Uchiha was rather impatient.

"W-Wait! I-I've never…"

Sasuke smirked and kicked the door open. He was hard and he was ready to take the blond on the floor, but since it was his _first time_, he decided he'd at least take the time to get the blond to the bed first. But no way was he waiting any longer than that.

Naruto, for the moment, seemed undecided as to whether it would be better to try to squirm his way out or freeze in shock, so he went with alternating randomly between both until, at last, Sasuke made it to the bed and dropped the blond onto the soft mattress.

The older man was quick to position himself over the blond, and before Naruto could take in the fact that he was on the bed, the Uchiha's lips were on his, and he was pinned under the man harshly.

Naruto squirmed. He could feel his face getting hot, and, embarrassing as it was, he could feel the heat of his body rise and his own member grow hot and hard as Sasuke pressed against him.

Soon enough, however, he was lost to the sensation of the other man's lips on his, a cold, wet tongue rubbing on his lower lip, pushing for entrance. Pale, cold hands moved lower, first brushing through blond strands, rubbing against a smooth neck, then moving lower against the cloth of Naruto's shirt, moving lower to the hem and then slipping under, gently stroking soft tan skin.

Naruto groaned and Sasuke pushed his tongue inside with no warning. Blue eyes shot open and blinked a few times before shutting again. He could feel saliva escaping between their lips and dripping down his cheek.

Sasuke's hands continued exploring the blond's body, slowly maneuvering further and further down south, until he was caressing the hem of the blond's pants, a finger darting in under the material and moving back and forth just above the tuft of hair.

Naruto squirmed again, trying to push away, but Sasuke responded by shoving a leg between the blond's, parting them roughly.

"Sa-Sasu-ke," Naruto panted as the other man proceeded to attack his neck. It was all so much, Naruto didn't know what to do. All the new sensations, strange reactions in places he never knew could react like that, the intoxicating dizziness in his head, it was all so unexpected.

Sasuke's hands went back to the blond's shirt, pulling it up just under his arms, the older man's lips attaching themselves immediately to the blond's left nipple, another moan escaping from the blond's parted lips. Those pale hands wandered lower again, pulling at the button of the blond's pants and unzipping them quickly, then roughly yanked them down along with the blond's boxers, exposing the hardened shaft to the cool air.

Naruto gasped and squirmed some more, Sasuke letting his whole weight pin the blond as he continued sucking and kissing at the tan flesh. He let a hand wander around the blond's member, rubbing gently for a moment before moving down toward the mattress, toward his goal. A finger rubbed at the blond's entrance, and his eyes closed and a smirk spread on his face. He had never wanted this so badly.

He heard the sound of a sharp gasp as his finger gently circled the blond's tight entrance and his eyes shut in ecstasy at the thought of entering it shortly. He pushed the tip of his finger in and the blond squirmed. A hand went up the Naruto's mouth, stifling the sound. Even that small intrusion had hurt. He hadn't expected that and tears stung his eyes.

_Oh god, I'm not ready_. He clamped his eyes shut as that finger probed in further, and he felt his body stiffen. He bit his lip as more of it entered, his eyes opening briefly to look at the dark-haired man, seeing the look of rapture on his face, and shut his eyes again. He couldn't hold back the slight whimper.

The dark eyes fluttered upward a second before drifting back down to watch hi finger disappear into that tight hole repeated, slowly moving in and out. His next closest finger traced the tight ring of muscles before beginning to enter as well, and he heard another whimper.

His eyes widened as he suddenly took in what that brief look had gathered. The Uchiha looked back up again at the frightened face of the beautiful blond and he froze, half of his second finger inside the blond along with the first.

Naruto's whole body was trembling, and tears were running in delicate streams down his scarred cheeks. His hands were covering his tightly closed eyes.

For a while Sasuke just stared at the terrified blond, his mind blank. At last he shifted on the bed and pulled out his fingers gently. His feet landed lightly on the cold wooden floor, the vanishing sunlight streaming into the room from behind the curtained double doors as he leaned over the bed and took one of Naruto's hands, kissing the back gently.

Wet blue eyes opened and blinked up at him.

"When you're ready," was whispered just before Sasuke straightened and left the room, shutting the door behind him.


	21. Chapter 21

So, I've been waiting a while to write and post up this particular chapter. It is the very beginning into Naruto's past, and it connects to an earlier chapter. Very exciting stuff (yes, I am a dork). Also, my beta's computer broke and she wasn't able to beta this chapter. As soon as her computer is fixed I'll post up the beta'd version. Next week: we finally start to learn a little about how Naruto ended up where he is now. Yatta!

Warnings: unbeta'd

Disclamer: don't own

* * *

Naruto lay staring at the ceiling, watching the morning sunlight dancing across the textured surface. He still wasn't quite sure what to think of what had happened last night. Or rather, what didn't happen.

Hadn't Sasuke said he wanted him? Then why hadn't he taken him?

Naruto turned over, his mind still reeling. Did this mean the deal was off? But no, Sasuke had said those words before he left, "when you're ready…"

He really had no idea what to think. After Sasuke had pulled away, he had left the room and hadn't come back, leaving Naruto to continue sobbing in the bed. He really hadn't meant to react like that, but he had gotten so scared so suddenly, even after they had gotten so far already. But all of a sudden, once he felt Sasuke's finger touching him down _there_, everything had just assaulted him at once and he had lost it.

So now he still lay in bed, still mostly naked, incredibly confused.

A soft knock rang against the shut door and Naruto startled. He must have made some sort of noise that the person on the other side thought it would be okay and the door opened. Quickly Naruto pulled the covers up over his body as Mariko entered the room.

Her dark eyes scanned over him before nodding and giving him a quick smile. "Sasuke-sama left for work already. If you could please get dressed and come have breakfast, Tsunade-sensei should be arriving soon."

She smiled at him again and left, shutting the door as resoundingly as Sasuke had last night. He blinked at the door and felt a bit of panic starting to take hold of him.

Okay, so Sasuke was gone, but he hadn't kicked Naruto out, and now Tsunade was coming. Tsunade. That could be a problem.

But Mariko-san was nice, so he got up and made his way to the bathroom and took a shower. The warm water helped him to forget his current dilemmas, and he was momentarily glad he had the ability to wash himself every day now. He liked to be clean.

He got dressed after going through the expensively stocked closet and headed to the kitchen where Mariko had breakfast ready. It was a simple breakfast- toast and butter and a small bowl of cut fruit covered in a creamy yogurt. It was good and he thoroughly enjoyed it, though it was small. But it was getting later anyways, and he would only have to wait a couple of hours for lunch.

Mariko was currently cleaning up the kitchen, turned toward the sink as Naruto ate.

And it was during this happy time, that the happiness disappeared and was replaced with anxiety.

There was a knock at the door.

Naruto stilled in his chair and looked with large blue eyes at the door which was now swinging open roughly, an irritated looking older woman with long blonde hair pulled back in two pigtails and irregularly large boobs stood in the doorway, bag in hand, glaring at Mariko, who was now standing near the same door.

"Well?" Tsunade demanded. She didn't look happy. "You pulled me away from a good gambling day, this had better be worth my time. Where's this brat Uchiha picked up."

Mariko smiled and bowed. "Welcome, Tsunade-sensei. Naruto-sama is waiting."

Tsunade blinked, her temper fading rather suddenly. Her honey-colored eyes drifted toward the young blond male sitting at the counter.

Naruto smiled and waved.

Her mouth hung open for a moment as Naruto fought to keep calmly eating, pretending like all of this was just another common occurrence.

"Naruto? Uzumaki Naruto?"

Mariko blinked at Tsunade's stunned expression. "You know him, Tsunade-sensei?"

"Know him! The little brat!"

In the next second Naruto found his face buried in the cleft between Tsunade's sizable breasts.

"You little punk, where the hell did you disappear to? Do you have any idea how crazy you made us, vanishing like that? Jiraiya nearly had a stroke when he realized you were nowhere to be found, and even Kakashi… I haven't seen him with his stupid porn in weeks." Tsunade was nearly tearing up now as she clutched onto Naruto as he flailed around, trying to draw breathe.

The sound of someone clearing their throat brought Tsunade back to the present and she released the young blond male. She straightened her outfit and turned to glare at the newly arrived Sasuke.

"Anyone care to explain?"

"Where the hell did you find him?" Tsunade practically screeched, gripping Naruto's wrist harshly.

"Geez, old hag. Give me a break. You're gonna kill me."

"I was worried about you, idiot," Tsunade snarled, smacking the back of his head.

Naruto grimaced at the pain and rubbed his abused head as his blue eyes found Sasuke. The older man was looking at him fixedly, waiting for a response. He didn't seem angry about the previous night…

Naruto could feel his face heating up and cleared his throat before beginning hesitantly. "Um… Tsunade-baa-chan was my doctor. She was there… when I was born. She's an old friend of my family."

A dark eyebrow rose in question as Sasuke watched the young blond fidget in his seat, Tsunade's golden-colored eyes studying him carefully. He saved his question for later.

Tsunade frowned and tugged at the blond's chin. "Well, let's get started." She looked carefully into his face, examining his features. Suddenly she smiled. "Jiraiya and Kakashi are going to be very happy I found you."

Naruto's eyes went wide and he shook his head wildly. "Please, baa-chan. Don't tell them."

Tsunade frowned. "What do you mean, don't tell them?"

"Please. When I'm ready, I'll find them myself."

"Naruto, they're worried. They're going crazy trying to find you."

"Please. Don't tell them." Naruto had a pleading look in his eyes, and Tsunade's frown deepened.

She sighed. "They aren't going to be happy when they find out I knew where you were and didn't tell them."

Naruto smiled. "Thanks, baa-chan."

She smacked him again lightly and continued her examination.

She lifted the collar of his shirt and peered in. "You know, when I first saw you passed out in the Uchiha manor, I was so sure it was you. But when I looked, you weren't wearing the necklace." She moved away from him and looked at his face carefully. "Naruto, what happened to it?"

Naruto looked down, his eyes deep and sorrowful. He looked ashamed. "I… They took it."

Tsunade's eyes went wide before they turned to anger. "Those…" she growled as she clenched her fist tightly.

"I'm sorry," Naruto whispered. He was tearing up again. He hated being so weak.

Tsunade took a deep breath and patted his head. "Everything checks out." She huffed, "You always were a fast healer."

Naruto nodded and rubbed at the wrist she had clutched earlier.

"What are you gong to do now?"

Naruto looked up at her and smiled. "I'm gonna stay here. Sasuke… he's letting me stay here. I'll be fine. When I'm ready, I'll contact you all."

She nodded and turned to the Uchiha.

"Now get this, Uchiha," she began gruffly. "When I come check on him again, I'd better find him in working order, got that? If he's not fat, dumb and happy like he's supposed to be, you'll pay for it." She cracked her knuckles for effect.

Sasuke huffed. "Whatever."

She nodded once and headed for the door, grabbing her bag as she went. She paused at the doorway and sent one last smile at Naruto before she called back to the Uchiha once more. "I'll send the bill in the mail. Because you're taking care of him, it might be smaller than expected."

Sasuke smirked. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of him."

She sent him a glare and was on her way.


	22. Chapter 22

Alright, so my beta still doesn't have a working computer. Therefore, this still is not beta'd. As soon as I get them beta'd, I'll post them up.

Okay, so, I have now received over 500 reviews on this story, therefore, you all will notice that I have posted two chapters this week! Yatta! So thank you all who reviewed, you all are the super awesomeness!

Finally, today I start class, so I may not be writing as much, though I will try to keep ahead on this story at least for as much as possible.

So I'll be quiet now, and let you read. Enjoy the two chapters! We're really gonna start into Naruto's past now!

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: plot, angst and sad stories

* * *

"Well? Care to explain?" Sasuke was standing in front of the blond who had suddenly turned shy.

Mariko watched the scene quietly for a minute before sneaking out the door, deciding it was probably safer for her if she made her escape while there was still time.

"Uh…" Naruto began.

"I thought you said you have no family."

Naruto took a deep breath and looked up at the older man standing over him. "I don't."

An eyebrow rose.

"Really. I'm not lying. Like I said, Tsunade-baa-chan was my doctor. She's childhood friends with Ero-Sennin, the man she referred to as Jiraiya. Jiraiya…" Naruto gulped and licked his lips. When he continued, his voice was lower and more raw. "Jiraiya taught my dad all he skills a good writer needs. He was my dad's mentor. Kakashi… he was my dad's student." Naruto smiled. "But Kakashi decided he preferred reading to writing and took up martial arts. When my ad made it big as an author, he became my dad's body guard. It was… and interesting situation."

"You're father… was a writer?"

"Namikaze Minato. Ever heard of him?"

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. His voice came out low. "You mean the famous writer who… was recently killed."

Naruto sniffled and nodded, his eyes on his feet.

Sasuke frowned. "Then what are you doing here? Why did I find you on the street?"

The blond bit his lip and stood up. It was the first time he realized the height difference between the two. It wasn't much, but the Uchiha was a few inches taller.

"If… If you want me to tell you the whole story, can we sit on the couch? These stools and with you hovering over me like that aren't exactly the most comfortable for a long story."

Sasuke nodded and uncrossed his arms, following as Naruto led him to the couch and sat down.

They made themselves comfortable on opposite ends of the couch and Naruto blinked up at the ceiling fan for a few minutes before he continued.

"My father… he was born from a rich family. He was the oldest son, so… he was the expected heir. For most of his life, he was fine with that. He was a good son, followed his parents' orders, got good grades…" Naruto smiled. "My dad, he used to be called a 'once in a decade genius'. Everyone loved him. He was smart, and fun, and energetic and… all of his family adored him.

"But then he met my mother. She was beautiful and super energetic and troublesome… But they fell in love." He started fiddling with his fingers. "Thing is… my mom was from a really, really poor family. The only child, and my grandfather… her dad adored her. When my grandfather met my dad, he was pleased. Unfortunately, my dad's parents didn't feel the same way about my mother. They thought she was… too far below him. That he could do much better.

"It was the first time my dad had ever fought with his family." Naruto sniffled and continued as Sasuke continued to watch him carefully.

"In the end, the Namikaze's wouldn't budge. They threatened to disown him if he didn't dump her. My dad was furious, my mom was depressed, and my grandfather…" Naruto smiled and laughed lightly. "It was my grandfather's idea… for them to elope."

Sasuke didn't show his surprise.

"So they did. They left and came to Tokyo and got married. Jiraiya had a place here that he let them stay at, since he traveled the country a lot. When my parents found out my mom was pregnant with me, a couple of years later, Kakashi came to Tokyo. By then, my dad had started writing, and he was selling a decent amount. Not anything big, but enough that they could afford their own place.

"Kakashi moved in with them and helped them out with bills and whatever." He sniffled again. "Then, one the day I was born…" He stopped fiddling his fingers and looked up. "My mom got sick, about a week or so before I was born. They… didn't think I'd live. In the end, it was me or my mom. She was weak, and Tsunade told her…" he gulped, "that if she had me, I might live but she wouldn't. But if… if they gave up on me… she'd be alright and could have children later.

"My dad… couldn't choose. So, he let her choose." He bit his lip. "Obviously, she chose me."

Sasuke nodded silently, his eyes fixed on the blond.

"He said… she wouldn't have been able to live with herself, not being able to save her baby. She didn't hesitate. He said… she was always very brave. He said I was a lot like her."

Sasuke fingered his lips, waiting. "You still haven't told me," he began quietly, "how exactly you ended up on the streets."

Naruto smiled. "I will."


	23. Chapter 23

Yeah, so I said it all last chapter.

Warning: this chapter is a flashback, as will be the next several (is that a warning?)

"Tou-san(1), Tadaima(2)!" The young blond shut the door behind him, letting his bag fall on the floor of the kitchen before heading deeper into the large house, in search of his father. He knew exactly where to look; his father could always be found in his study, writing.

"Tou-san!"

He slipped his shoes off and headed up the stairs to the second level. The house was clean and neat (unlike his own room), and it was large, an indication of how well his father's books sold. He passed Kakashi snoozing on the couch in the sitting room at the top of the stairs, his beloved orange _Icha Icha_ laying open across his face. Naruto heard him giggle between snores.

He shook his head and smiled. What a pervert.

The house was cool this time of day, even though the weather outside was so hot and humid. The soft carpet felt nice and comfortable under his socked feet, and the smooth surface of the painted walls were cool to the touch as he ran his fingers along the surface as he made his way to his father's study.

The door was open and so he peeked in around the corner.

The room wasn't the largest or the smallest in the house, but just big enough for a person to move around comfortably. The wood paneled walls were nearly all covered in books lining oak bookshelves, colorful bindings revealing their names proudly to the world. Across the room was a large window, elegant white curtains hanging down, letting in just the right amount of light. Placed directly before the window was a large dark wood desk, a laptop open on top of it. Littered around the surface were numerous hand written papers, as well as a couple of stacks of neatly piled printed papers. Drafts.

And in the seat before the desk, currently typing frantically to get thought on paper (or screen), was Namikaze Minato- Naruto's beloved father.

He was leaning over the keyboard as his long, nimble fingers flew over keys, his slightly messy, about shoulder length blond hair sprawled across his forehead, hiding his handsome face from view. Even from the doorway, Naruto could see the strands of the headband his father wore when he wrote, the kanji along the front across his forehead proudly displaying the word "Fight!"

Naruto smiled.

"How long are you gonna stand there, Naruto. Not gonna come say hi to your dad?" Minato paused his typing and swiveled his chair around, grinning at his son. His eyes were squinted as he smiled, a trait his son had inherited, hiding the bright blue eyes which his son had also inherited. In every way the son looked like the father, save for those scars which lined the son's otherwise flawless skin.

Naruto returned the smile and entered the room, running up to his father and hugging him briefly. He leaned over his father's chair and looked over his shoulder at the words on the screen.

"How's the new book coming?"

Minato shrugged, a soft smile still on his face, his blue eyes glittering. There was nothing he loved more than his son and his books. "It's coming. I think I sense another bestseller."

Naruto laughed. "Of course. It'll sell millions if you just stick your picture on the cover."

Minato echoed his son's laugh, playfully shoving him off the chair. "Is that supposed to be a hint?"

Naruto shrugged. "I think Kakashi's having dirty dreams again."

Minato shook his head and turned back to his laptop. "Honestly, I don't know where he got it from. That's not the student I taught."

"Right," Naruto grinned.

"I do not read _porn_, Naruto."

Naruto nodded his head, smirk still in place. "At least not where anyone can see."

Minato smacked him. "Enough. Go wake up the pervert and tell him to go get us food. The master writer is hungry."

Naruto grinned again and headed to the door. "And Naruto, no ramen."

"Aw, but dad!"

Minato just waved him out the door.

(1) Dad - (2)I'm home


	24. Chapter 24

So, yeah, I know a really, really rather late update (on this story, anyways). Since school has started and we're still trying to get my new place livable, I don't have much time to prepare this. That and this chapter was complicated... I dont know if it really is complete, so we'll just say it's a work in progress. If I realize I needed to add something later that should have been around here, I'll add it in and let you know. also, in my utter stupidity, I accidentally sent my beta the wrong chapter (the next one) instead of this one. So this is unbeta'd. Sorry! I'm an idiot!!

Disclamer: might be considered incomplete for the time being, still a flashback

Warnings: foreshadowing..., unbeta'd

* * *

It was a good day, he thought. He and his girlfriend had had lunch together and it had been fun. He didn't have work, just a couple of classes at the local university, and after class he and his best friend had gone to get a gift for his girlfriend's birthday. She liked his necklace, but he could never give that away, so he had opted to buy her one that sparkled, one more decorative. He was sure she'd like it.

But what had changed that day, was arriving home to see his father in the kitchen, a deep frown on his face. Minato hardly ever frowned.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked as he dropped his bags on the kitchen floor.

"Ah, Naruto. Go get changed. Jiraiya-sensei will be in town this evening. He's taking us to dinner."

Naruto frowned. Minato hadn't answered his question. Naruto knew Jiraiya coming always made Minato happy.

"Tou-san? What's wrong?" he pressed again.

"Nothing Naruto. Nothing for you to be concerned about." Minato flashed a false smile and headed ustairs.

"He had a bad day, Naruto-kun."

Naruto looked to the side and saw Kakashi perched by the door, leaning on the frame. His arms were crossed, and Naruto was near certain the older man was not happy, even behind the mask that hid the lower part of his face.

"What happened?"

Kakashi smiled and moved into the room, putting an arm reassuredly over Naruto's shoulder.

"Don't worry. He got a bad phone call, that's all. A little threat. You know his books... Well, I'm here. And so long as I'm here, both of you will be perfectly safe. I'll die before anyone hurts you or your father."

Naruto frowned slightly but nodded. He knew his father's books weren't entirely well received, and that some of his topics got the wrong people upset. But Kakashi had never lied to him, had never made a promise he couldn't keep, so he had no need to worry about it. And so he didn't, and erased it from his mind.

He smiled as he looked up at Kakashi. "So, Ero-Sennin is coming? Hope he doesn't bring some slut into the house like last time. I still have nightmares from one of those whores coming into my room at night." Naruto laughed. "I thought dad was gonna throw Ero-Sennin out after that."

"Now, now, Naruto-kun. Jiraiya-sama isn't just some pervert."

"He isn't?" Naruto snickered. He was perfectly aware of the hero-worship Kakashi had for the old pervert.

"No. Jiraiya-sama is… The Greatest Pervert."

Naruto laughed. "What, that's a title now?"

Kakashi didn't look amused, which caused Naruto to laugh even more. "Right. Whatever."

He laughed a bit more, looking in Kakashi's direction as that book appeared again and the older man headed for the door out of the kitchen. Naruto sighed at the prospect of the older pervert making an appearance and followed Kakashi out the door.


	25. Chapter 25

So, this chapter is one of the most crucial parts of Naruto's past. It's also about as depressing as this story is going to get. I'm not quite sure on that though, but i think... Anyways, it's very depressing (at least to me). Also, now that school has started and I have come to see just how much reading my classes are requiring of me, I'm not sure I'll be able to manage to keep up the once a week postings of this story, but I promise I will try. I have next weeks ready to go, so I'll try to work on what comes next, if I can find the time. Of course, if I actually get to move into my new house, I'm sure the time I'll save in driving would be helpful. And for those of you who read SA, sorry, sorry, I have started the next chapter, and I swear I will try to post it soon. Really! Sorry!

Anyways, enough babbling.

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: angst, major drama

beta'd finally! Thank -Nightly Halo-. Yatta! And if I ever get the time, I'll update those other ones.

* * *

He could remember… being very scared that night.

It was dark, around midnight, and he had been in bed. His father had been up late, working on his latest book. It was a common occurrence, so Naruto thought nothing of it.

But that night… was not a normal night.

It was cold out, winter had set in. But the house was warm, comforting. He was happy.

He was curled up in bed, fast asleep. He felt too warm, and had kicked off his heavy blankets. He sighed deeply and his eyes blinked open. The air smelled strange.

He sat up in bed, his eyes still bleary with sleep, and that's when the sound caught his attention. The crackling…

Then the sound of voices, and then feet.

His door burst open, his room suddenly filled with an eerie orange light. It was hot.

"Tou-san?"

"Naruto, get up! We have to get out!"

"What?" Naruto's mind was still hazy, but Minato rushed forward and pulled him roughly out of bed.

"Come on! Hurry!"

"Tou-san, what's going on?"

But Minato didn't answer, and as his vision cleared up and the sleep left his mind, he studied his father's ashen face, the fear in his normally bright blue eyes.

"Tou-san?"

The crackling grew louder and the heat intensified. Kakashi and Jiraiya appeared at the door.

"Minato-sensei, we have to go." Kakashi's voice was gruff, strained. Jiraiya was gazing behind him, watching as the light grew stronger.

"Tou-san," Naruto whimpered as he clutched at his father.

"Naruto," Minato muttered, turning to his son. "Listen to me carefully. We have to get out as quickly as we can. Keep moving, no matter what alright? I want you out safely."

"Tou-san…"

"Minato-sensei, we have to go."

Minato nodded at Kakashi and pulled Naruto along out the door and down the hall, away from the bright light and growing heat. Naruto glanced back, his eyes widening at the flames. The air was thick, and he began to cough as the smoke began to catch up to them.

Minato was at the front, Naruto being pulled along just behind him, Kakashi and then Jiraiya at the rear.

"Minato, we have to hurry," Jiraiya called.

They turned at the stairwell, about to head down and Naruto crashed into his father. "Tou-san?"

Minato licked his lips. "The fire's downstairs too," he whispered.

Kakashi looked around. "Minato-sensei, the window."

Minato glanced down the hall, away from the fire rushing toward them. There was a window at the end of the hall. Below it outside were bushes. Perfect.

Minato nodded once and moved, his grip on Naruto tight.

Naruto was whimpering. He was terrified. He didn't know what was going on. It was so hot, so loud, too bright. He clutched his father's sleeve.

A new sound reached their ears as they rushed along the carpeted hallway. It was an eerie noise, the sound of wood being engulfed, eaten through, breaking.

Suddenly, the fire was everywhere, and Naruto couldn't see his father.

"Tou-san!" Naruto called. He realized he was on the ground, there was smoke in his eyes, and his father was no longer holding onto him.

"Tou-san!" he called again. His eyes were wet.

"Naruto," a soft voice muttered. It sounded… pained. Faint. "Naruto."

"Tou-san?" Naruto whispered back.

He blinked and his vision cleared. He looked around and spotted his father. A burning log was mere inches from where he had landed, his father underneath.

"Tou-san?" Naruto whimpered. His vision swam. He crawled closer to his father and tugged at his sleeve. "Tou-san?"

Minato smiled, but the brightness in his eyes was fading. "Naruto? I need… I need you to get to the window. I need you … to jump out. Once you're out, go get help. Ka… Kakashi and Sen… Sensei will find you. Please Naruto. I… I need you to be safe."

Minato's hand closed around Naruto's. "Keep them safe… for me. You and them… my most precious…"

"Tou-san!" Naruto sobbed.

"Naruto."

Naruto looked up and the blurry image of Kakashi met his gaze. He had crawled through the smoke and rubble to them. His mask had torn in the chaos, his hair was singed and he had grime and blood mixed on his face. He glanced toward Minato and their eyes met briefly.

"I'll protect him, Sensei. I swear."

Minato nodded. Kakashi pushed Naruto forward around the broken wood atop Naruto's father and headed to the window. He couldn't see anything. Tears kept escaping, he couldn't stop them, and the smoke kept getting in his way. He coughed.

At last his head hit the wall. Kakashi moved forward, fingering the wall, trying to find the frame. When he found it, he took a deep breath and stood. Smoke was filling the hallway. He kicked at the glass and it shattered, sending fragments to the ground outside. Without a second thought or word of warning, he grabbed Naruto and shoved him out of the window.

Later, Naruto wouldn't remember falling or landing in the bushes. He was too busy crying for his father.


	26. Chapter 26

I know I know, later in the day again. I think this is going to have to be the norm now, since I don't currently have dependable internet at my new house and have to return to the parents for that. Plus, what with school kicking in (you would seriously not believe how much reading I have to do, gah) I don't have time in the morning for anything other than dragging myself out of bed.

So next week's installment is not currently written, and I can't guarantee it, or any of it's following siblings, will be ready to continue my Friday postings. I promise to try my best, but I can't be sure, so don't hold me to it. Just trust that when I find the time and the inspiration, chapters will be written. Sorry!

(Also, for those of you who read SA, I have four pages. Forgive me.)

Disclamer: not mine

Warnings: more angst, ore flashbackingness

Beta'd by -Nightly Halo-. Yes, there were lots of spelling mistakes, I didn't have time to go over it before I sent it to you. Sorry!

* * *

As Uchiha Sasuke sat there on the couch, watching as the blond cried, he had the sinking feeling that the story wasn't over. From what he had heard so far, Naruto loved his father more than anything. A fire like that… it couldn't have been an accident. And after all, he had said his father had been "murdered". Yes, Sasuke was certain. The story was nowhere near over.

* * *

The media were all over the house the next day. Naruto was numb as he stood by Kakashi's polished silver car, Kakashi holding him steady, keeping him standing. A blanket was wrapped around him and his eyes were red. Jiraiya stood nearby, his face full of sorrow as he stared at the house now nothing but mere rubble. The house in which his most beloved pupil had died.

"Naruto!" Naruto looked up as Tsunade rushed toward him and wrapped him in her arms, pressing him closely to her. She cried into his hair. His whole body was shaking; from his own sorrow, and hers.

Strangely enough, the media hadn't gone to harass the now orphaned son of the famous writer. Kakashi and Jiraiya's threatening auras were probably enough to make them keep their distance.

But the story was all over the news by that afternoon. By the next day, the whole country knew everything there was to know. Almost.

But the following day was when everything really began to fall apart.

Kakashi had practically lived at the Namikaze house, but he did have his own apartment, sparsely decorated. It was to this location that Naruto was taken. And it was here that they found him.

Jiraiya was sitting at the table, going through files that had survived the fire, papers he himself had risked his life to get safely out of the fire. Naruto was sitting on the couch, looking as dead as he felt. And Kakashi was sitting on the floor by the bedroom door, his book open, but he wasn't reading.

There was a knock on the door.

Kakashi looked up, gazing at the other two occupants before shutting his book and standing. Jiraiya rushed to hide the papers.

Naruto looked up at the door when Kakashi opened it, though he just barely registered the surprise on Kakashi's and Jiraiya's faces at their guests.

"Namikaze-sama." Kakashi spoke, bowing to the older man dressed in an expensive suit just outside the door.

"Kakashi-kun, it has been a while."

Kakashi nodded. "To what do we owe this… unexpected visit?"

"Hm. Haven't seen you since Minato ran off with Kushina. Thought I'd never see you again, frankly," Jiraiya muttered, coming to stand just behind Kakashi.

"Jiraiya-san," the old man acknowledged.

"This is very rude," a woman's voice stated. It was then, that Naruto noticed the small woman who stood behind the old man, dressed in an elegant kimono. "are you not planning on inviting Father in?"

"Himino-san, another unexpected surprise," Kakashi smiled.

She glared at him.

"I would invite you in, but I'm afraid I don't have much to offer. This apartment is far below your standards." It was then Naruto noticed how very fake Kakashi's smile appeared.

Himino huffed and looked away.

"We do not plan to stay long," the old man spoke. "Now that Minato is gone, I have only come to take what belongs to us."

Both Kakashi and Jiraiya once more looked surprised and exchanged glances.

"What belongs to you?" Jiraiya questioned.

"As a son of the Namikaze family, all that Minato had now belongs to us. It is Namikaze law."

Naruto stood suddenly. "What?"

Eyes turned to him, and shock registered in the Namikaze's this time.

"Naruto, sit down. We'll take care of this," Jiraiya huffed.

"Minato was not a Namikaze. You disowned him when he left with Kushina," Jiraiya continued, this time to the Namikaze's.

"That has nothing to do with anything. That vile woman is dead, and we have retracted the disownment."

Kakashi stepped forward, and Naruto could have sworn he was growling. "You mean once he made it big you decided it would be okay to accept hm again, and now that he's gone you'll take everything he earned. Take it away from his son!"

"You have no say in this matter. This concerns family. You are not family, Kakashi-kun," Himino spoke as she clutched her kimono.

"We may not be, but Naruto is. And mark my words, you will get nothing that belongs to him. I promise you that." Jiraiya stepped forward to push his point. "You may go now. The pleasure was yours."

He shut the door in their faces.


	27. Chapter 27

Yes, I know, it has een forever and a day since I updated _anything_. I am very sorry. School sucks. I can't remeber ever having such a crappy, way too heavy work-loaded semester before. Gah, it sucks. But the semester is almost over, and guess what! I actually have a few chapters for this already written, so, at least for about five weeks, I can go back to my once a week update here. Unfortunately, for those waiting for an SA update, I haven't worked on it. Sorry. I'll try.

Also, what I managed to finish writing for this story finishes up the flashback section. So look forward to that!

Warnings: stuff really sucks

Disclaimer: I am too poor to own anything right now... Seriously...

Beta'd by -Nightly Halo- yatta.

* * *

Naruto didn't know it then, but that was only the beginning of his problems.

Kakashi and Jiraiya were furious at the whole ordeal, but Naruto didn't know them, didn't know what it all meant. He didn't know anything. And Kakashi and Jiraiya didn't seem to want him to know.

When asked, all they said was, "Don't worry about it" or "It's not important".

But he was curious. He had always been told his father didn't have a family, that he and Kushina had gotten the approval of her father and that was all that had mattered. That when Naruto's grandfather had died, that was it. He was the last of the Uzumaki's. Beyond that, he had never wondered about his father. Somewhere in the back of his mind he must have wondered, but since his father never volunteered the information, he figured it wasn't important. That there was nothing to tell.

But then _they_ showed up. And they wouldn't _stop_ showing up.

Day after day that same knock at the door. After three days of that they stopped answering the door. They listened to the undignified squawking at the door in quiet satisfaction until it went away. After a few days, it took longer for the squawking to stop.

After his father had been gone a week, Naruto decided it was time he went back to work and to school. He was still upset, still depressed, but he knew his father wouldn't want him to suffer so much. And he was determined to make his father happy, no matter where the older blond was now.

So he made his way to his first class, only to discover he had been dropped. After a few minutes of contemplation, he just nodded and left. He checked with his other professors, but it was all the same. He was no longer a student there.

But he really wasn't that surprised. He did miss a week's worth of classes. It never occurred to him that the death of his father justified him missing school and that he should have pressed the issue more. He hadn't thought that was enough to get him knocked out of class, but, it wasn't that big a deal. Maybe, he could concentrate more on his job now. He liked where he worked, and he had been planning on staying there after he graduated. This just pushed that plan up a bit.

As his father had been such a prominent writer, and since he loved it so much, Naruto had decided he wanted to do the same. He had gotten a job as an intern at a prominent newspaper, part of the reason they, at least, hadn't pressured him for a story.

So he made his way to the newspaper headquarters, ready to tell them he was willing, and able, to accept their offer and become a full-time member of the staff. He stood in front of his employer, an older man named Asuma who smoked too much. The older man rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he chewed on the cigarette held between his lips.

"Look, kid, sorry about your dad and all, but… Well…"

Naruto frowned. "What's wrong? Don't I… didn't you want me to work full time?"

"See, I'm under orders by the big boss. Sorry Naruto, but… We can't hire you."

Naruto's face fell and he stood there blinking a moment. "Um, o-ok, I guess. I mean, it's fine." He put on a hesitant, small smile, then forced it to become wider. "Yeah, no problem. Just, I'm available whenever, so… if you wanna, you know, put me on an emergency case or something. Just feel free to call me. I'll take just about anything," he laughed gruffly. He was out of practice laughing these days.

Asuma sighed heavily, his eyes taking on a sad expression. "About that… I was told… Naruto, sorry but, you don't have a job here at all anymore."

Naruto's head tilted to the side as his brows knitted together in confusion. "W-What?"

"I don't know the details, but… we can't let you work here anymore, not even as an intern."

"I… I don't understand…"

Asuma just shook his head and walked away.


	28. Chapter 28

Alright, next chapter (yay I'm still here!) Forgive any missing "i"s you may notice. That particular key on my laptop refuses to cooperate, and I'm not sure if my beta got all of them. Anyways, Naruto's misery continues! Yes, I'm horrible...

Warnings: crappy stuff happens to poor Naruto

Disclaimerness: Naruto me not own

beta'd by -Nightly Halo-, who had to put up with many missing "i"s. Sorry.

* * *

As bad as all of that, no more school and no more job, was that it didn't end there.

Naruto had managed to bounce back, just like he always did, and went out the next day ready to find a new job he could devote himself to. He was all set to focus on something new and fun and exciting, something to take his mind off of everything that had happened, everything that confused him and made his mind spin or just shut down.

So he used Kakashi's old printer and cranked out a bundle of copies of his resume, headed out into the streets, and started looking for a job.

He met with all sorts of people, all polite and happy to meet with him, son of the late master author.

But strangely, as excited and ready to hire him as they all seemed, no one called back. His phone remained silent. As the days moved into the new month, he realized another thing that didn't help his chances- he learned his phone service had been cut off.

It was strange. Kakashi clamed he had made the payment, but the phone just wouldn't work. When Naruto called the phone company, they told him his service had been canceled. Kakashi claimed he hadn't done it.

So Naruto spent the day trying to get the service back on… only to discover he no longer had access to his bank account.

"What?" Kakashi had exclaimed at that little bit of information. "How the hell did that happen?"

Jiraiya frowned as he sat back in his seat, looking up at the white ceiling. "You shouldn't have been cut off. The Estate tax was paid, did that myself. You should have no problem getting to all the money Minato left you." He scratched at his white mane of hair. "What s gong on here…"

Naruto shrugged and sighed and spent the next day working with the bank, trying to get his accounts unlocked.

But the next day was the worst of them all.

Almost two months after the funeral, there was a knock on the door. Not the persistent knock of the relatives, those had finally ceased some days prior. But a steady, much more business-like knock.

Kakashi was busy reading his porn and Jiraiya was watching some pervy TV show on one of those x-rated pay-per-view channels, so it was up to Naruto to answer.

He took a deep breath and stood up from where he had been sitting on the floor, trying to read. Slowly he opened the door, placing a false smile on his face to greet their guest, a stuffy looking man in a business suit.

The man bowed politely and inquired if "the presence of an 'Uzumaki Naruto' was available". Naruto nodded and the man thrust forward a large folder.

Puzzled Naruto took it and the man reached over and flipped to a page. "Please sign." He produced a pen out of nowhere.

"Um… what is this?" Naruto asked, frowning at the paper.

"This verifies the acceptance of transfer of inheritance left by Namikaze Minato to his family."

"Oh, okay…" Naruto took the pen.

"Hold on a minute there, Naruto," Jiraiya muttered, pulling the pen out of the tan hand just as the tip touched paper, leaving a neat little streak across the white and black surface.

Jiraiya tuned to the man in the tidy business suit and looked him over before finally speaking. Kakashi watched the proceedings over the top of his book as he continued to sit at the table. "I already took care of all this. Why are you here?"

The man produced a briefcase from air and opened it, pulling out a paper and examining t. "I was hired by a 'Namikaze Takayuki' to handle the transfer of property." He looked back up into the stunned face of the older man. Naruto continued to be puzzled.

"What did you say?" Kakashi was now standing behind Naruto, a hand firmly on the young blond's shoulder.

"That's impossible. Everything that was Minato's belongs to his son, his family."

Now it was the man's turn to look confused. "But according to our documents," and he pulled out some more papers, "Namikaze Minato had no son."

Naruto's face went pale.

"What?" Jiraiya barked, snatching the papers out of the strange man's hand. His eyes scanned the sheets, not comprehending what they saw. No mention of any children.

"It must have something to do with the different last names…" Kakashi murmured, pulling Naruto further into the apartment and taking his place at the door.

Jiraiya shook his head. "No, that can't be it. The registry documents three related members, Minato, Kushina, and Naruto. I was there when Minato went to get Naruto entered. But this… this is the Namikaze entry…"

Kakashi looked at the paper, scanning it with his one visible eye. "What is gong on?" he murmured.

Jiraiya's expression darkened as he looked up again at the man. "The Namikaze's… how much have they already taken possession of?"

The man thought a moment. "Book rights, house and car deeds, stored items, bank accounts… anything that has Namikaze's name they currently now own."

"But Naruto hasn't signed the documents!" Kakashi exclaimed.

"It is only a formality, sir. As Namikaze-shi had no children, according to Namikaze family law, everything goes back to them, to the head of the family. Whomever this young man is, he has no entitlement to anything, and the signing only signifies that he understands this, not authorizing its validity. His signature is not required."

Naruto's face paled even further.

"Everything… everything that was left to Naruto…" Kakashi murmured.

"Belongs to Namikaze Takayuki and his children," the man finished.

"The phone service, the bank account… They took everything…" Jiraiya muttered as the papers slipped from his hands and floated to the floor. "Did they leave anything for Naruto…?"


	29. Chapter 29

Yay for another chapter! For those of you curious, the flashback continues until chapter 32, so please bear with it- it's all finished up till there. At that point all the foundational stuff of the story will be out. Yeah...

FYI, one of those chapters is super short, so that week you'll get two, since if I remember correctly, it'll be around the time finals will be over, and so the two chapters that week will be to celebrate (God knows I need it, school is totally kicking my ass- I mean, at least one paper/and/or test every week for the past two months!?! Why?!?!?!) *Sigh*

Alright, I think I have nothing else to say, except, for those of you still patiently waiting for SA, I am super super incredibly sorry and as soon as I have motivation and a sense of humor again, I will get back to writing. I swear. I hope...

Warnings: more depressing stuff

Disclaimer: don't own

beta'd by -Nightly Halo- who has been exposed to all the angst. And now on to the story! (Finally)

* * *

Naruto sat quietly on the couch, biting at his lip. Sasuke's eyes were wide. No school, no job, no money. They had taken everything?

And to his horror, Naruto looked back up, his clear blue eyes gazing out the open balcony doors and continued...

* * *

He was picking at the cold cup of ramen, not really seeing anything. Kakashi and Jiraiya had been on the phone all day, not knowing what to do, not understanding. The man had left hours ago, taking his papers, unsigned, with him.

But it didn't matter, because Naruto had nothing. Everywhere they called, everything they did, was all meaningless. Naruto had _nothing_.

"Heh," Jiraiya muttered, sitting down. "At least… at least we snuck some things out of the house before it burned. We haven't lost everything yet."

Kakashi nodded, mumbling his agreement. He sat on the other side of the blond, rubbing soothingly at his back, noticing the still full cup of noodles, Naruto's favorite food. "It's alright. They can't keep you down, Naruto. And in the meantime, you know you can stay here as long as you want, as long as you need to get back on your feet. As the saying goes, "My house is Your house." He smiled under his mask.

Naruto nodded dimly and continued to pick at his cold food, while the two older men exchanged worried glances over the blond's head.

But instead of getting better, things continued to get worse.

It was a few days later, after Kakashi and Jiraiya had been investigating for days, that they found out.

Naruto was flipping through channels, trying to find anything that wasn't about his father, when Jiraiya came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. Naruto looked up, blue eyes dull and ringed with dark circles to testify to his lack of sleep.

"What now?" He was becoming far too used to bad news.

Jiraiya took a deep breath and let it out before speaking. "I just heard… I spoke to the head of that newspaper you used to work for, the one running all the articles about the Namikaze's and all the power they seem to be building up… It turns out," Jiraiya closed his eyes, not wanting to see Naruto's reaction, "that they… _convinced_ the newspaper to fire you."

Naruto's eyes widened. Jiraiya looked at Naruto, his own eyes looking dull. "And they also put out word if anyone else hires you… well, let's just say, the Namikaze's are intent on making sure you pay for what they see as the crimes of your mother."

Naruto looked down at the clenched fists in his lap.

The door opened and Kakashi entered the apartment. It was raining outside and he dripped on the floor as he dropped his umbrella and left his shoes by the entrance. "You'll never guess what I heard."

Both Naruto and Jiraiya turned to face the masked man as he pulled his coat off. Kakashi looked up at them, looking tired. "Turns out, they don't think Nauto is good enough to attend college. They pulled him out, and then they had the nerve to ask for a refund of the money that wasn't theirs to begin with."

He ran his hand through his hair and collapsed on the couch next to the young blond. Jiraiya shook his head.

"What exactly do they want? Doing all of this…" Jiraiya growled.

Kakashi sighed. "It's obvious, isn't it? They intend to recoup everything they think they lost when Minato left. They're making Naruto pay."

Silence as Naruto fiddled with his thumbs.

"They don't even acknowledge Naruto. He's not a Namikaze, and so they aren't willing to let him have what they think should be theirs… Bunch of greedy bastards…" Kakashi growled into the gloom.

"What do I do?" Naruto whispered.

"Nothing." Jiraiya responded quickly. "Don't worry about it. We'll handle everything."

But there was nothing they could do. And they all knew it.


	30. Chapter 30

Sorry I'm a little alter today. I've been busy since the second I was forced out of my warm bed. But here's the next chapter, the next angsty installment- and this one's a big one. Anyways, enjoy! And sorry for all the OCs, I couldn't think of any charas (except maybe Danzou) that would fit...

Warnings: angst, proliferation of OC charas

Disclaimer: don't own

beta'd by -Nightly Halo-.

* * *

They were tired, he could tell. With every passing day, every new piece of bad news, he could practically see them waste away. Kakashi didn't read his porn anymore, there were no more stolen moments where he could be heard giggling in a corner over the orange tome. And Jiraiya no longer snuck off to go spy on women's bath houses or went to pay a visit to the red-light district.

He was tired; tired of seeing them so tired.

It was time he did something, he thought.

It was early on a Saturday when he made his way out of the apartment and into town. He had a bit of cash on him, enough to get him there and back. He had looked up the address and how to get there, so he was sure he'd be able to find it without too much trouble.

While on the train, he thought about what he'd say, what he'd do. He wasn't quite sure, but he had an idea of what all he needed to get out there. Everything he needed to know. Somehow, things would work out. They were family, after all.

The Namikaze's Tokyo house was huge. They had a lot of money, and his father had, too. Of course they could afford a place like this.

He pressed the button on the intercom, waiting for a response.

"Who's there?" a voice buzzed suddenly.

"Ah, ano, U-Uzumaki Naruto, here to see, uh, Namikaze-sama. Ah, Namikaze Takayuki-sama."

He was fidgeting, and the movements became more sporadic as he waited for a response. Finally he got one.

"Come in."

The gates screeched as they opened and he walked in, the nervousness growing in his stomach. As he reached the elegant front door, he saw it open, a woman, that same woman from before, standing before it, arms crossed over her stomach. She wasn't wearing a kimono this time, but her clothes were still fashionable, expensive. She looked every inch a rich woman.

"Naruto-kun," she murmured as he bowed passed her and entered the large house.

He followed her through the elegant rooms and down a hallway until they arrived outside a closed door upon which the woman knocked.

"Yes," a voice intoned from within. The woman opened the door and indicated for Naruto to follow. His insides were knots as he did.

He gulped as he took in the elaborately furnished room. Carvings and well-crafted paintings lined the walls, and the furniture and materials used were all tasteful, but obviously expensive. Sitting in a tall leather chair by the window was the man he now knew to be his grandfather.

Sitting there in that angle, Naruto had a sudden flashback to his father sitting in his office, the light streaming down onto his golden hair, the warm smile on his face as he gazed at his son. Naruto swallowed in his attempt to hold back the tears he hadn't allowed himself to shed. There was too much to be done first.

He bowed deeply to the older man who continued to look on with no emotion. As he stood, he caught a look passing between the man and the woman, and he pondered briefly if this was really a good idea.

"Why are you here?" the old man asked at last.

"I-" Naruto licked his lips. "I came to ask why you've taken everything. Why… why I can't have what my father left me."

"Minato left you nothing. Bastard child or not, you are no Namikaze, your blood is vile, and nothing of ours shall you ever have. We have taken what was always rightfully the Namikaze's and bestowed it on those who deserve it."

Naruto felt his face heating up. They were family, how could they do this? How could this man who was his grandfather tell him such things? "But-"

"Do not speak out of turn. Father has not given you permission to speak," the woman lashed out. She held a superior smile at the anguish he was clearly experiencing.

The older man raised his hand to silence her. "Himino, quiet. I shall handle this."

She bowed politely to him, but the smile was still there.

"I don't understand," Naruto whispered.

"And you won't. You, lowly as you are, can not understand the thoughts of superior individuals," the old man replied.

"But we're family!" Naruto cried out, not knowing why they were rejecting him so coldly.

The old man's face turned cold. "We are _not_ related. Never speak such filthy ideas."

Naruto fought to hold back a sob.

The sudden sound of a door opening turned everyone's attention back to where Naruto had entered, and his eyes grew large at the sight.

Standing just at the door was a young man about his own age, looking haughty and superior in his expensive clothes, his gelled hair, and his handsome features. But what was most surprising stood beside him…

Naruto's girlfriend.

In clothes more stylish than any she had worn before, her dark hair pulled up in elaborate curls, and sparkling diamond earrings glinting in the light, she stood with her arm in the young man's. She wasn't wearing the necklace he had gotten her.

"Wha-" Naruto's mouth hung open. He didn't understand.

"Who is this?" the young man asked arrogantly. He had the expression of one looking down on a disgusting roach daring to scrape across his shoes.

"He's of no importance, dear," Himino replied.

Naruto took a deep breath, looking at the girl who purposefully ignored hm.

"Tomoko…" Naruto murmured. She glared at him.

"Hmm?" the young man uttered as he watched the exchange. At last his eyes widened in comprehension. "Oh, is this that worthless guy you dumped?" he asked Naruto's (apparently former) girlfriend.

"What?" Naruto felt like his voice was failing him- which was really something for someone who was normally so loud.

"Hmph. He wasn't even worth breaking up with," she replied, but she spoke louder, speaking to Naruto without really acknowledging hm. "I've moved on to better, _richer_ things. Right, Masaya-kun?" She turned her head so her earrings caught the light.

Naruto lowered his head, biting his lips.

"If that is all, you may leave, Uzumaki. And don't come back here." The old man's voice held an air of finality, and Naruto didn't waste another look before he ran out of the room and out of that house.


	31. Chapter 31

This one is super incredibly short. BUT, finals end on Tuesday (morning-8:30 am test *cries*), and to celebrate, I plan on posting the next chapter, which means you only have to wait a few days, and then you get two chapters next week. This past semester has been hell, so I think I need something in which I get some appreciation. School hates me... Alright, I'll shut up now.

Warning: super short chapter, more angst

Disclaimer: me no own

beta'd by -Nightly Halo-.

* * *

He had spent the rest of that day on the couch, flipping through channels, glaring at every one- and there were a lot- that were talking about the Namikaze's and everything they had taken from him. Even his girlfriend…

He sighed and turned the TV off, shifting so he lay on the soft furniture and stared blankly at the ceiling. He couldn't imagine his life getting any worse.

But the thought surfaced… It could, couldn't it? It hadn't stopped yet, and really, what were the chances life was gonna stop kicking his ass now, when it was doing such a good job of it?

He couldn't stop it. He had nothing, no way of getting anything. No matter how he looked at it, there was no where for him to turn, no where he could go from here. The only ones he had couldn't really help him. He would only drag them down with him…

He knew it. He was a burden to them.

He had never wanted that.

Naruto stood up from the couch and padded his way through the apartment. It was late now, and Kakashi and Jiraiya were passed out. Each had a couple of bottles of sake by their sides, and he figured they wouldn't be getting up for quite a while.

Plenty of time…

He wasn't going to make their lives harder for them…

Living the way he had all his life, he had never experienced true hardship, had never been so alone. He had always had his father… But now, with nothing, he thought he could handle it. What other choice did he really have? The past month had taken away every freedom he could claim, and it left him trapped.

So he grabbed a bag from where his last remaining things were, packed them all away, and that night, he snuck away into the darkness of Tokyo.

He didn't even leave a note.


	32. Chapter 32

My finals are over!!!!! Yaaay!!!! I am so super happy, and so, like promised, here it is, the next chapter!! Yaay!! Really though, i am so glad this semester is over. School shall plague me no longer! (until next semester, anyway). And thank you to everyone who wished me luck in dealing with the evilness of school. It was very much appreciated. ^_^ And for those of you still (im)patiently waiting for an update on SA, i have been working on it. On and off. Occasionally. I have almost four pages of crap! Yay! (*cries*). I'll keep working on it.

Um, so, it has been a really, really long time since I have written a violent scene of any kind, so sorry if it sucks and you have no idea what's going on. I'm out of proactice... and somehow... this chapter turned really violent... Uh, yeah.

Anyways, next chapter is it for the flashbacks, and then we're back to the present timeline! Yatta!

Warning: angst, violence, mature language

Disclaimer: poor kaze no own

beta'd by -Nightly Halo-.

* * *

He had called it, hadn't he? He knew things could still get worse, that life hadn't stopped abusing him yet.

It had been two days. Two days away from Kakashi and Jiraiya, two days after he had gone to the Namikaze's Tokyo manor. Two days on his own.

And it had started raining.

He stared up at the sky, begging with big blue eyes that the rain would let up. _Just stop_, he thought, _just stop raining_…

But of course, the sky didn't listen.

He grabbed his pack and ran for cover under an overhang outside a nice, warm looking restaurant. It looked so inviting in there, but he had no money, and he was dirty and wet, though he supposed the rain would at least wash him up a bit. That would be helpful…

He stood under the overhead for several minutes, watching the rain fall down in waterfalls from the overhead. It was peaceful, relaxing. He ordinarily liked rain. It was nice nap weather. But now, he didn't have the luxury to nap. He was alone, the weather was getting colder, and he hadn't thought to bring a blanket.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and looked at a young teenage boy who looked at him nervously. The kid was probably only a few years younger than him, maybe 16, but he was a couple of inches taller, though by how sheepish he looked, Naruto could just barely tell that.

The kid scratched at his nose and glanced at Naruto, whose blue eyes were steady on his face. "Uh, yeah, my… my boss, he says… he says you can't stand here. You have to, you know, go somewhere else. You're uh, disturbing the customers…" He indicated through the window, and Naruto noticed all the uneasy looks he was getting.

He had never known how truly hard it was to be homeless and on the streets.

He nodded, his cheeks heating up. "Sorry," he muttered, and he took off into the rain.

_Poor kid, no wonder he looked so nervous_, Naruto thought as he felt his body getting drenched again.

Back and forth, back and forth, across the street and back, darting through alleys and past crowds of people, all in the attempt to find shelter from the pouring rain.

After half an hour of this, he was too swept up in his task to notice he was being followed…

Finally he found a nice private overhang he thought looked promising. No one around to tell him to go, no crowds passing that would stare. No other street bums crouching here. Nice and private.

So he settled himself there, sitting happily on his cushy, though soaked pack, and rested his head against the hard concrete wall behind him, letting his eyes shut for a chance of rest. He felt his senses drifting, the calmness of sleep beginning to take over…

And then he felt a hand take hold of his hair, and then the startling pain of the back of his head crashing into the solid wall behind him. Twice. Three times.

He was seeing stars but he blinked furiously through the pain as he tried to stand, tried to get away. He didn't know what was happening, but he knew he had to run.

He stood and stumbled, then he felt a fist in his stomach, then he felt that fist, or maybe another fist, against his cheek. He tasted blood. His own, no doubt.

He stumbled and tripped, landing hard on his ass. He looked up just as the kick landed, then another foot on his fingers. He cried out at the pain. Then another punch to his face, but it just barely missed; he could feel the air as it passed.

Then he heard the voices.

"Shit, the little fucker." A kick again and his face was in the mud and water. He spat out the grit mixed with blood, and he moved his arms closer to his head as another kick came toward his face.

"Alright, alright, stop." The voice which now spoke was calm, almost bored. It sounded vaguely familiar. "You still alive, fucker?"

The voice was closer now, and he opened his eyes slightly. That face looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he'd seen it. It didn't help that it was so close to his own. The man laughed, and then spit. Naruto shut his eyes quickly again.

The laughing face pulled away, and Naruto chanced another look. He saw feet, about three pair of them. Three people. All men.

"Well, well, Uzumaki. Who'd have thought that we'd find you in a place like this. But it's okay, I've always wanted to make you suffer. All my life having to hear about that shit-head uncle who took off with the red-headed whore who then died giving birth to the bastard child. Hearing about how he suddenly started striking it rich by selling books, rather than suffering like he deserved. Hearing about how you looked just like him."

A foot reached out and kicked hm.

"This is nice. I deserve this chance now. And you…" He could almost hear the sneer, see the look of contempt on that handsome face, and he remembered who this man was… his cousin… Namikaze Masaya…

"You, Uzumaki, should just go ahead and die…" And then the kicking started, and above the sound of the rain and the thundering of his own pain, he could hear the laughter…

But then it stopped again, and a foot kicked him over so he was sprawled on his back, rain drops falling onto his now fully exposed face. He blinked to keep the drops of mixed water and blood out of his eyes. He couldn't feel the growing cold anymore.

"What's this, eh?" That face came closer, nearly blocking the rain from falling, and he watched, helpless, as a hand reached out and pulled the necklace, his precious gift from Tsunade-baa-chan, from under his clothes and examined it. His eyes went wide, rain or no rain, and he lifted his bloodied, injured right hand to grasp the necklace out of the other's grasp.

No… no, that he couldn't have. He couldn't take that from him, too.

A hand slapped his away, and then feet were holding all of his limbs down. He couldn't move, the energy was leaving him. He hadn't eaten properly for days, and it was so cold and he was soaked and in so much pain. His eyes started tearing up. He was too weak. He couldn't fight back for those few things still in his possession he cherished…

He couldn't stop the tears now as the necklace was ripped off his neck. Couldn't fight it as they started to beat him again, and even as they walked away, their laughter still filling his ears, even as he lay there thinking this was it, he was going to die, life couldn't possible drag him further down, he cried.


	33. Chapter 33

Alright, back to regular weekly postings. At least until I run out of ready chapters. Hopefully, that won't be until school starts back up since I'm on break! Yay!

And you all will be happy to note the flashbacks end in this chapter, and then we are back to the current storyline.

Disclaimer: me no ownness

Warnings: more short chapterness (but next weeks should be a little longer), sappiness

beta'd by -Nightly Halo-, who shall be receiving the next chapter... eventually... sometime this week... I hope.

* * *

When he woke up, his whole body was sore, but his eyes were dry. He was still alive.

He lay there for a while longer, watching as the clouds drifted across the blue sky.

After another hour or so of just laying there, he tried to sit up. It hurt like hell, but he kept trying. He was still alive, so he had to make the most of it. He was hungry. And if there was any part of his body that was truly stubborn, it was his stomach.

At last he was on his feet and he took a step, then collapsed back on the muddy ground. He tried again, and finally he managed to stand.

He took another step, and another. And then he was on the ground again.

Naruto took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. The clouds were getting darker. It was going to rain again.

Over and over, the same cycle. Stand, step, step, fall. Stand again, step, step, fall again. He was so tired, so sore, but he kept trying. Until death finally claimed him, he had to keep moving. No matter how much he was starting to crave it.

He stood, and he managed to make several steps before the ground claimed him again. And then the rain started.

His eyes gazed upwards at the sky. He had always liked the rain, but right now, he didn't think he did anymore.

A cold wind blew. He could feel it starting to set in. Winter was coming.

* * *

"After a few days, I was able to get around again, and so I started wandering. I was afraid they were going to go back, find me again, beat me again. So I kept moving. I tried to stay near dark alleys so I couldn't be spotted or recognized by anyone. I guess… I was like that for… maybe two weeks? I don't think it was actually that long, since I left Kakashi-sensei's apartment." The blond paused and looked upwards towards the ceiling, thinking. "It rained a lot. And it was cold."

He looked at Sasuke, whose expression was unreadable.

Naruto shrugged. "Then it really started pouring and I wasn't feeling well and then I saw you and then I passed out. And that, is how we met!"

And Sasuke was finally truly surprised, because Naruto was smiling at him. After all that he had been through, all that he had been forced to endure, and here he was, smiling like he was really, truly happy.

Sasuke didn't understand.

But Naruto… he was so beautiful when he smiled like that.

And so Sasuke leaned over and pulled the blond sitting beside him closer into his arms. He buried his face into that soft blond hair and gently kissed his head. He felt those warm arms slide around his waist and pull him closer, and then he heard the sniffling.

"It- it really sucked, you know," the sniffling blond murmured into Sasuke's shirt.

"I can imagine," Sasuke muttered in return.

"So you better be nice, and take good care of me. Cuz it all really, really sucked."

Sasuke could only nod.

Naruto sighed and sniffled some more. And then he seemed to smile into Sasuke's expensive shirt. "But you know, they always say, things only get worse before they get better. This… I think this is better…"

The TV continued on in the background as Sasuke held the blond in his arms.


	34. Chapter 34

Merry Christmas and all that. Sorry for the late update, but I spent most of the day at my grandma's making tamales. Never-ending tamales... Anyways, here you go, the next chapter.

Warnings: nothing really...

Disclaimer: me no own

beta'd by -Nightly Halo-. I may take up your suggestion for the next chapter.

* * *

Blond eyelashes fluttered open to the dim lighting of the room. He was warm, and even though he had just woken from a nap, he was exhausted. But he was also hungry, and he could hear and feel the rumbling of his stomach as he sat up from under the covers.

He was back in the bedroom, sprawled on the bed where he had slept for what was probably hours. He was becoming very fond and familiar with these sheets…

Yawning, the blond pushed himself out from under the sheets and made his way to the door. He was still in the rich and fancy clothing he had dressed himself in earlier, but just running a hand through his hair told him it was all mussed up from his nap. He had never been a calm sleeper, and usually the state of his blond tufts of hair was testament to that when he wakes up.

His stomach rumbling a reminder, he padded his way back to the living room, all lit up, the TV on and broadcasting something that looked like a historical drama. He frowned at it as he slowly moved toward where the food resided.

Finally casting his blue-eyed gaze to the kitchen and the enticing smell, he was surprised to see Sasuke standing there, cooking.

Naruto's head tilted as he watched the other man's back as he moved to add spices and things to the dish he was preparing.

"I thought the maid did the cooking?" Naruto pondered aloud.

Sasuke cast a quick glance back at the confused blond before getting back to the tasks at hand. "Normally. But I felt like taking care of it today."

Naruto nodded and sat at the counter.

Silence hung between them as the drama on the TV continued. Naruto turned back and watched, listening as two old guys in the formal attire of daimyo talked about something he wasn't really interested in.

He turned back around at the sound of a dish being placed in front of him on the counter.

"What's with that show?" Naruto questioned as he grabbed at the chopsticks placed before him and proceeded to stuff his face.

Sasuke shrugged. "It's interesting."

A blond brow rose and Naruto turned back to watch the show for a few moments longer. "That?" Now there was some girl on the screen who looked to be pondering some important decision.

"I like history," was all Sasuke said as he seated himself beside the blond.

They ate in silence a while, both in their own thoughts, before finally Sasuke stood and disappeared into the bedroom. Naruto took that opportunity to stand and get himself a refill- Sasuke was a surprisingly good cook- and reseated himself, once more shoving food into his mouth.

The dark-haired man then reappeared and placed a pile of items beside the blond.

Naruto looked over at the small pile and his eyes widened. "Wha-"

"After you fell asleep, I decided there were some things you needed to have, and you should get them soon." He reached for the top item- a white box with the Softbank logo and name on the top- a cell phone, and handed it to the blond, who hesitantly took it. He gaped at the box a moment before flickering his gaze to the other man, who nodded. Naruto bit his bottom lip and opened the box.

It was top of the line, a recent model. A new device that showcased the top brilliance in Japanese technology the experts at the Softbank company managed to cram into a phone. He took out the device from the box- it had been re-wrapped in the plastic which he quickly ripped apart, and gazed at the shiny new phone. It was solid black, a sort of diamond patterned finished surface. It was a combination touch screen and slide phone, and, to Naruto, it was beautiful. He had always imagined having the latest, most high-tech phones, but they were way too expensive, and his father didn't believe he needed to have things like Microsoft Power Point on a cell phone (1).

"Wo-wow," Naruto breathed as he gazed at the phone.

"I already put in my number, so if you need anything, just call. I'll answer even at work. But not if I'm in a meeting."

Naruto nodded as he thumbed the smooth black surface.

"The rest of the parts are in the box. I forget all it came with, a case, charger, a couple of cables you need, I think…" Sasuke shrugged.

Naruto nodded again, still gazing at the phone lovingly. He looked about ready to start petting it.

Sasuke cleared his throat and picked up the next item, practically shoving it into the blond's hand.

"I previously mentioned this account. I've set it up that at least half of my paycheck will go into the account every month. And to start it off, I've put in a small percentage of my savings." He grabbed another item from the pile and handed it to the blond. Naruto put down the phone hesitantly- it was a great phone- and grabbed the passbook(2). He opened it and looked at the numbers printed there. He blinked. He tilted his head and blond brows furrowed. He put down the card n his other hand and moved to count the number of zeroes written in the passbook indicating how much money had been put into this account.

One, Two, Three, Four… Five… Six… Each successive zero caused a widening of blue eyes… Seven…Eight…

Naruto didn't think his eyes could go wider. There were eight zeros in that number. Eight. There was a hundred million yen(3) in that account!

"As I said, I'll make sure it never goes down too much. If you suddenly realize there isn't enough, let me know, and I'll put more. It really didn't make much of a dent in my savings. Plus there's my trust fund." Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest, looking irritated. "Honestly, I've got more money than I know what to do with."

"W-w-wait…" Naruto shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "You mean, this is for me? All of this money?!"

Sasuke raised a dark brow. "I told you. So long as you agree to be my lover, I'll make sure you have anything and everything you want. Of course that's for you."

"B-But… t-there's no way can spend so much money! I c-can't accept this!"

Sasuke sighed. "Well too bad. You can't give it back to me. Really. It barely makes a dent." He huffed in irritation. "Please, spend it. Otherwise I'll never get rid of it all."

Naruto's mouth was hanging open now and the thought kept running through his mind… _what have I gotten myself into??_

* * *

Notes:

(1) Based off of an actual brand- I looked it up ^_^. Softbank X04HT. If you're interested in seeing what it looks like and all its features, look up Softbank- it has an English site.

(2) A passbook in Japan is like a check book, but the banks have a machine that automatically updates it for you- stamps it- when you make a deposit or withdrawal.

(3) About a million dollars


	35. Chapter 35

OMG. Am I really back? Really?? I don't know, it's been... ten months??

OMG I'm sorry! I know, I suck terribly. I'm sooo sorry!!!!

Yeah, so, um, I don't know what took me so long, except that I can't seem to write. Last semester of school was... not fun, and then the whole looking for a job stuff, and... Ugh. How annoying.

BUt I am back! Really! I promise! I have... five chapters at least sorta ready...? So hopefully I'll get my butt in gear and will start posting regularly again... at least for a little while... Maybe.

I'm Sorry!!!

Disclaimer: I do not own, thankfully, or you all would likely kill me...

Warnings: OMG it's SMUT

Beta'd by -Nightly Halo- who waited very patiently for me. Thank you. I'm sorry I suck so much. Really.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto didn't know what to do. He continued to sit quietly at the counter, gazing at his newest possessions, unsure what to do next. Sasuke was sitting on the couch, watching TV again, the large screen casting colorful images of some historical event. The volume wasn't on too loud, unlike when Naruto had been watching.

Occasionally Naruto would turn his blond head and gaze at the back of the other man's dark hair.

The room was getting darker. The light of the sun was fading and no lights had been turned on in the room. The only real light now was coming from the TV. But still he could make out the dark figure turned to watch the screen intently.

He knew. Really, he did. This Uchiha guy had given him more than he could have asked for already. More than he ever expected to have again. This was beyond luck. And he knew… This was a deal. An agreement; and Uchiha had kept up his end.

It was too much, really. Too much to expect him to be so patient and kind forever. Naruto had to hold up his end of the deal as well. But… he was scared.

He took a deep breath and turned back to the phone in his hand. Smooth and glossy and sparkly. The card which gave him access to a whole lot of money was resting on the counter just beside his left hand.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and nearly jumped out of his seat.

He hadn't heard the TV turn off or heard the light footsteps of Sasuke nearing him. He lifted big blue eyes to the other man and waited. He bit his lip. Was he going to ask for it?

"I'm going to bed. I can't avoid work tomorrow," Sasuke spoke. He rubbed at his forehead. "My damn brother won't let me ditch work too much. Come to bed whenever you want."

Naruto nodded vacantly and watched as Sasuke turned and headed into the bedroom where the blond assumed they would be sharing a bed. He sat a moment longer in his seat, hesitant. Finally he took a deep breath and stood, making his way slowly to the bedroom door.

Sasuke wasn't in the room. The bed was still in its rumpled state from before, after Sasuke's nap, but no dark-haired man was lying in it. Naruto glanced around and noticed the door to the bathroom was closed. He could hear running water.

He bit his lower lip and went to the drawers, searching for something to wear to bed. Whatever happened, he wasn't going to bed with no clothes on. That was just… not gonna happen. Continuing to chew nervously on his lower lip, he dug through the drawers and pulled out some clothes that seemed would be loose on him and quickly stripped and tugged the clean clothes on.

Water still running in the bathroom, Naruto headed toward the bed and jumped in, snuggling under the warm covers. The bedroom seemed a little colder than it had been earlier, and he realized the temperature must have dropped outside- it _was_ dark now.

The only light the bedroom had was coming from a lamp by the bed, closer to the door leading to the rest of the apartment, on the opposite side of the bed from where Naruto lay curled up. He snuggled closer, blinking his eyes as he gazed around the room, nervous. He could feel his heart pounding in anticipation. Was he even ready this time? Hadn't it just been last night that they had tried and he couldn't?

The door to the bathroom opened and Naruto peeked over the covers as Sasuke walked out, all ready for bed. His hair was wet, and his clothes looked clean and wrinkle-free. And he seemed even more gorgeous than ever.

Naruto gulped and inched the covers lower. Sasuke glanced at the bed and stopped. He frowned.

"You're in bed already?" Naruto nodded. The frown vanished and he nodded almost imperceptibly. He continued walking to the dresser and went through a drawer. "If you need to use the bath, go ahead."

"Um… I… took a bath this morning, so I'm fine."

Sasuke nodded and turned toward the bed. Naruto sat up as the other man sat on the mattress and lifted the covers to get under, blue eyes focused on him intently.

"Well," Sasuke glanced over at Naruto, "Good night." And he lay down and turned away from the blond beside him.

Naruto wasn't entirely aware his jaw was hanging open. And then came the indignant squawk Sasuke wasn't prepared for in the least. "What the hell is that!?"

Much more quickly than Sasuke's body liked he shot up off the sheets and suddenly found himself standing by the bed, blinking down at an enraged looking blue-eyed blond. That beautiful face was twisted into a glare that could rival his own, and those brilliantly blue eyes were sharp and clear.

"What the hell do you mean, you're going to bed? I mean, I mentally prepared myself and changed and was nearly freaking out expecting you to pounce on me, and nothing? You bastard!"

Sasuke couldn't remember ever being so confused before. And like an idiot, he stammered out, "B-but I thought you didn't… didn't want to…?"

"Like hell! A deal is a deal. You give me stuff, I give you me. That was the promise, right? What kind of a jerk goes back on his word? I never break a promise you asshole."

Sasuke gulped.

Naruto continued to glare up at him, his arms now crossed over his chest.

Sasuke licked his lips and eyed the blond, wondering what would happen if he really did make a move now. Either way, this was not what he had expected.

After a moment of silence as they eyed each other, finally Naruto muttered, his face growing a deeper shade of red. "Well? Are we gonna… gonna, you know… or not?"

Sasuke swallowed. "You're sure… you want to?"

Naruto took a deep breath and uncrossed his arms. Hesitantly, he nodded, and then laid back down on his back, blue eyes now fixed onto the ceiling.

Regardless of the strange situation, Sasuke was pleased. He had wanted to, definitely, but after last night… He didn't want to rush anything. But if Naruto was ready… then so was he.

Carefully, he got back on the bed and inched his way closer to the blond. Naruto was chewing on his bottom lip, and as Sasuke's dark eyes caught the action, they stayed focused there as his body moved to hover over the other man.

Naruto lay on his back and waited. His gaze still fixed to the ceiling, he let his mind go blank as his heart rate sped up. He was definitely nervous. There was no doubt about that. But he had made his decision. He had to follow through.

Sasuke moved closer, slowly, still giving Naruto a little space, a little time, just in case he still wasn't ready, just in case he changed his mind. And Naruto was grateful for that, because it helped to settle his racing heart a little, helped to set him at ease.

Lightly, Sasuke's lips met his, and he let his eyes blue close, felt his face go hot as he let the other man move his lips against his own.

Suddenly he didn't know what to do with his hands, and he felt his body shake just a little, the nervousness returning full on. Sasuke pulled away just a little, dark eyes filling his vision as he let his eyes open slowly, blue on black. Naruto unconsciously licked his lips, saw those dark eyes flicker down, watching his tongue peek out of his lips.

There was lust there, in those dark eyes. And again, that strange thought struck him. This man, this gorgeous, rich, sexy man, _wanted _him. _Him_.

His cheeks heated up again and he bit his lower lip, overcome with gratitude. He had been rejected by his own family, his flesh and blood, and this complete stranger wanted him. He hadn't been turned away, completely abandoned, left to die in the street. This man had saved him.

He took a deep calming breath and let his eyes slide closed again, letting go of any remaining resistance. This was the least of what he could do for this man who had saved him, in more ways than one perhaps.

Sasuke watched carefully, enamored at the many emotions flickering through those beautiful blue eyes, and when they drifted closed, he could feel himself give in to this strange feeling this exquisite blond gave him. He leaned down into him, kissing those enticing lips, and let his own eyes close, blocked out everything unimportant, only Naruto mattered now.

Sasuke lined up his body against the slim, warm blond under him and kissed him passionately, raving the other's lips. He felt Naruto's arms come up and wrap around his neck, pulling him in closer. This, _this _is what he had wanted.

Cautiously, he moved his hands along the warm body under him; let his hand slide against the blond's shirt down to his waist, gently pushing back up, under the cloth. Naruto shivered at the contact, the cold hand against his heated body.

He gulped at the feel, and his eyes shot open as Sasuke's tongue plunged into his mouth. He shut his eyes again, trembling uncontrollable, trying his hardest to remember to breathe through his nose.

He had never gone this far before, couldn't really say he had kissed his girlfriend much, but he had been exposed enough to his father's pervy teacher's books to get the concept. But still, being forced to read when you really didn't care, and actually experience it was completely different.

And then he felt a nudge at his legs, felt this sexy man's legs forcing his apart, and realized Sasuke had been trying for a while and he was refusing., was all locked up. He forced himself to relax again and let his legs be spread. The other man attacked his mouth more forcefully at the compliance and he shuddered as the other man's knee rubbed against his hardening member, and shivered again as that hand made it up to his nipple, rubbing and pinching.

He moaned.

And then he froze at the incredibly lewd sound he had just uttered, unaware he could even make such sounds. He didn't think he could get more embarrassed. His eyes shot opened at he looked up at the dark-eyed man, who had slowed his intense attack on his blond's lips, dark eyes open and fine, a dark brow rose inquisitively.

Naruto diverted his eyes. That look was too… teasing.

He heard Sasuke snicker in his ear as he moved his lips up, kissing along Naruto's jaw, his cheek, nibbling on his earlobes. His hand continued to rub and pinch and flick, and Naruto tried to hold back another moan. He couldn't keep making such erotic sounds. It was just… too weird.

But Sasuke seemed to have liked the sound, because now he seemed to be trying everything possible to get him to make it again. And damn was he winning.

Naruto bit his lip when Sasuke's tongue flicked into his ear, shuddered when he pulled his hand out from under his shirt and began unbuttoning it, exposing the tanned chest and the pert pink nipples.

He was so hot he couldn't stand it. The chill of the room against his now exposed hot flesh didn't cool him. And everywhere the pale man touched only made him hotter.

Sasuke's hands, now done examining his chest moved lower as he repositioned himself again, his mouth again moving lower back to those lips, then lower to his jaw and then lower to the blond's neck, in light, feathery kisses.

His thumbs rubbed against the blond's waist where pants ended and skin began, just barely going under, teasing the soft, sensitive skin there.

Naruto gulped and moaned again. He didn't know how much more he could take.

Sasuke's lips moved lower over the blond's right nipple, kissing, sucking, and biting gently. Naruto moaned again. And the dark-eyed responded by unbuttoning the pants and sliding them down, along with the boxers Naruto was wearing. He gasped as the cold air hit his erection, now realizing just how hard he was. And then he felt the cold hand wrap around his heated member and squeeze.

Naruto gasped, eyes rolling, nails digging into smooth pale skin.

Sasuke flung the pants away and pulled off from the writhing blond.

The blond was panting, his sky blue eyes at half mast, clouded with lust. The older male smirked at the sight, and removed his own shirt, revealing his flawless pale-skinned chest, then slowly undid his own pants, watching as those blue eyes followed the movement of his long fingers, as that pink tongue licked his swollen lips.

It nearly made him crazy, imagining those lips around his engorged cock.

And soon the pants were off and thrown aside, his hard member exposed, and he again lined himself up with the blond, putting himself in between those spread legs.

And again they were kissing passionately, both wanted to get on to the next step, both wanting to be satisfied.

And Sasuke couldn't imagine this getting any better.

He moved his hands lower between Naruto's legs, sliding down his inner thighs before moving back up, his thumb searching for that spot he wanted.

Naruto gasped as he found it, and he rubbed at it, kissing his blond more deeply, bringing them closer together. He reached over with his right hand to his dresser, forced the top drawer open so hard he could just barely make out the sound of clattering and something falling onto the hardwood floor. He reached his hand into the open drawer and pulled out the tube he had stashed there, and tried to force the drawer closed again. It was too much trouble, and so it remained half opened as he moved his hand back to the bed, removing his other hand which had still been teasing Naruto's opening and forced his hands to cooperate for a higher purpose.

He wanted to go back to touching his blond, but he needed to open that damn tube first.

After a few clumsy attempts he managed, and somehow even forced some out, much more than he really needed and brought his now covered fingers back to the blond's entrance. He forced the blond's back hard against the mattress and moved his fingers back where they wanted to be, and lightly pushed one in.

Naruto made a slightly pained noise and he paused, forcing himself to move more slowly. It was agony, but he didn't want to hurt his beautiful blond.

He was very tight. He had never had anything put in there before, and he didn't like the feel of the intrusion. It was cold, and unyielding, and his body involuntarily became unyielding as well. It only made the pain worse, and he whimpered.

"Relax," he heard Sasuke murmur in his ear just before that terrorizing tongue flickered in again. He took a sharp breath and tried to relax, forcing his body to loosen. The finger wasn't going to go away, he told himself, but he still didn't like the feel of being invaded like that.

But the finger really wouldn't relent, it kept pushing in. and then came something worse, another finger. He whimpered again, his nails once more digging in to Sasuke's shoulders.

"Damnit Naruto," Sasuke grunted. "Relax."

"I'm- I'm trying," he murmured back as another finger entered his body. He whimpered again, and then tried to force his body to relax again. Those fingers were moving now, stretching him, preparing him. He bit his lip and then his mouth was attacked again. He let himself get caught up in the kiss, trying to take his mind off of the pain.

And suddenly there was no pain, just a sudden, searing rush of pleasure. He really couldn't hold it, he moaned loudly.

Sasuke smirked into the kiss and pushed at that tight spot again. And he got another moan in response.

He pulled his fingers out, and now the moan was in protest. But he didn't let go of those lips and reached for the tube again, his hand searching the sheets for the damn thing, until finally he found it and forced more out onto his fingers, now moving them onto his erection, coating it liberally with the stuff.

And now, the part he was so anxious for. Again he repositioned himself between the blond's spread legs, felt the tip of his erection just barely enter the blond's entrance, and it took everything ounce of control he had as an Uchiha to keep from slamming it in. He gulped and took a deep breath, and slowly began to push inside.

Naruto felt like he was tearing. He clung to the Uchiha, trying to relax, trying to remember to breathe as his body was invaded by that hot, throbbing object. He tried to muffle his voice, tried to keep from crying out in pain. He had no idea it would hut this much, but he couldn't stop now. He wouldn't.

And so slowly, he pushed, and Sasuke was sweating with the exertion of restraining himself, intoxicated by how tight and hot and amazing it felt to enter the blond.

And then he was all in, and they paused, both panting, trying to catch their breaths. Their eyes met again, and Naruto blinked slowly at Sasuke, and again they kissed. Sasuke began to move, pulling out slowly, and then suddenly stopping, before slamming back in, control gone.

Naruto cried out. And Sasuke pulled out again, repositioned himself and slammed in again.

This time, however, the cry was not in pain, but in that intense pleasure. Naruto was stunned, and he clung tighter to Sasuke, who was pulling out again, then pushing back onto the same spot.

In and out, in and out, over and over again into that tight body. Naruto couldn't keep back the moans anymore, and together they moved, both wanting more of that intense pleasure.

And he couldn't handle it anymore. He felt his body tighten and he released, and Sasuke's eyes grew wide as he was squeezed to tightly so suddenly and came before he had realized it.

When the stars in Naruto's vision had cleared, Sasuke was hovering over him, still inside, that warm feeling of being filled with something overpowering him. Sasuke was panting and sweaty. And Naruto realized he was as well.

The Uchiha took a deep breath and let his eyes close for a moment, before regaining his composure and pulled out, Naruto flinching at the feel of it leaving his body, at the sound.

Sasuke collapsed next to him, and they were silent.

Drowsiness overcame him and he blinked at the ceiling once, twice. One quick glance beside him at the man he had entrusted everything to, and he fell asleep, too tired to be anything else.


	36. Chapter 36

Yay! I'm updating! Well, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday, and as a nice treat for Black Friday, here's the next chapter of Storms! I know I had said I was going to update regularly again, but while I seem to no longer have much of a life, my beta now does, so yeah. But! The great and amazing -Nightly Halo- already finished the next few chapters! So, for the next three weeks, at least, I'll be able to update every Friday! Yay!

Alright, enough rambling, here we go!

Disclaimer: I do not own, I have enough trouble handling what I do

Warnings: angst (I seem to have a thing with missing Bastards recently...), some cursing, nakedness

beta'd by -Nightly Halo-. Real life really sucks sometimes.

* * *

It was quiet when he woke up. Sunlight streaming through the mostly closed blinds at the window, an otherwise dark room, the door slightly ajar. No sounds of the TV coming through the crack of the doorway, no sounds of food cooking, no movement of another person. No trace of even the maid.

It was a little surprising actually. He had read of such things, in those romance books his girlfriend had forced on him, about those one-night stand situations of the guy leaving the girl alone the next morning. Usually that was accompanied by a whole lot of "did it mean something" drama. Not that he actually expected-

Though, actually, this whole thing was unexpected. He was, after all, playing the girl part in this…

He cringed at the thought. Then he tried to sit up and cringed again, this time from the pain he now felt lacing up his lower back. His body shuddered at the thought of getting up and he lay back down, turning his head to face the rays of sunlight streaming in, filtered by the blinds and falling onto the hardwood floor. They flickered to the left, further into the room, and Naruto's blond head turned toward the open door of the bathroom.

He had to go.

Ha scowled to no one in particular and grit his teeth as he slowly forced himself to sit up. The sharp pain returned. He slowed his movements to a stop and waited till the tension subsided and sat up further, holding himself up with his arms on the soft mattress. Now, after what they had done, he was starting to second guess it. He didn't expect he'd be in this much pain after.

And now he was sitting up under the sheets, staring at the sun light on the hardwood floor, his mind going back to that previous train of thought before he attempted to actually get out of the bed.

Because really, did it matter if it meant anything? It wasn't supposed to, after all. He was… well, a play toy. That's what he had agreed to, hadn't he? He was a convenient body to lie with, and in return for his complete surrender, he got… well, this whole place, this new lifestyle. Comfort, style, money. He could now have everything he had ever wanted, no consequences.

Well, beyond the pain in his backside.

But it had felt good. Really good, in fact. Granted, it hurt like hell at first, but then… it wasn't so bad. If that's all he had to do to get anything and everything he wanted, to be comfortable and happy in life, then it really wasn't so bad.

Of course, it was all superficial. There was nothing in the world that could give him what he _really_ wanted… his father back. His life.

He licked his lips and lifted the blanket up, revealing his still naked body. He had been amazed how quickly he fell asleep afterwards, and it had really been a sound sleep. Since his father's death, he hadn't been able to sleep so peacefully. If it wasn't for the fear of someone sneaking up on him, it was from the nightmares.

The sunlight was starting to annoy him now. He glanced over to the inviting door of the bathroom, then the floor, not moving. But he really, really had to go. He glanced back up to the bathroom door, pondering his next move. Get up and face the pain? Or stay in bed and just let his bladder burst. He could always just wet the bed, but that was gross. Well, he'd get back at that Uchiha jerk who wasn't even here when he woke up. But then again, it was likely the maid who would be forced to change the sheets. She didn't deserve that, maid or not.

No more fighting it. He really, really had to go. He sighed and gently, carefully- his hands still holding him up against the mattress- lifted himself onto unsteady feet until he could stand properly, attempting to plant his feet on the cold hardwood floor.

He sighed and nearly fainted at the pain when he tried to stand, crumpling to the cold floor, his bare bottom now freezing. He'd have to yell at the bastard to leave the heater on. After all, there was obviously enough money, why worry about the electricity bill?

Slowly he tried to stand up again, his hands nearly tearing a hole in the sheets where he clutched them like his life depended on it. He tried to regain his balance and took a deep breath before chancing a step.

That wasn't so bad, he decided. So he took another step. And another. And he kept going, feet freezing against the floor, bare butt freezing from the lingering cold air, and his legs protesting with every new step. He gritted his teeth from the pain as he progressed.

He wished the bastard who did this to him was still home. But no, the jerk had left. Hadn't even woken him up. He was so gonna pay for that later.

And finally he was at the doorway to the bathroom and sweet relief. He pondered the thought of a bath as he relieved himself, thoughts of the feel of steamy hot water against his skin. He needed a shower, and he figured the hot water would help wash away some of the pain. He hoped there were some nice, strong drugs somewhere to help along too. Damn that bastard. He couldn't leave some pain killers for him?

_And where was the asshole anyways??_

At last he finished up and reached over as quickly as he could and turned on the water to the hottest setting. Letting the tub fill, he shuffled along, very slowly, to the closet, pulling out some random clothes and throwing them out the door to (hopefully) land on the bed. Shuffling his way back, he was pleased to see the tub was nearly full and scorching to the touch. Turning the heat down a little, after all, he didn't want to burn himself, he waited as patiently as was possible for him for the tub to fill and slowly, painfully, got in. When he was finally sitting comfortably in the hot water, he sighed deeply.

It was really starting, his new life. There were so many things he would now need to adjust to. Maybe tomorrow, when he wasn't in so much pain, he'd go out into the area, see exactly what part of Tokyo he'd ended up in, maybe search out a book store and buy some good books. Unfortunately, he had lost all of his autographed books (those his father had given him, those he'd gotten at publisher parties, and those he got through his father's connections) to those bastard relatives he hadn't known existed until recently. So he'd need to re-buy the books, but without the priceless (or probably insanely valuable) autographs. Plus, all his classics he'd also have to re-buy. And probably a new bookshelf or two to fit them all…

He leaned his head back as he soaked, taking in the warmth soothing his new aches, and thought over all the books he'd buy. It really was kinda exciting, being able to go into a bookstore and grab whatever, no worries about spending limits, and taking them all to the cashier with a grin, saying "I want all of these!".

A smile graced his face at the thought. Even without the autographs, it'd be fun. Of course, it really sucked about those books his father had written. Naruto always got the first copy, signed by his father, that dumb grin on his face as he handed it over.

Naruto sighed at the vision of it in his head, his eyes watering.

Then he heard the knock.

With a swish of the water he bolted up from his relaxed position, a crack of pain lacing up his back, as the maid's voice spoke through the closed door.

"Naruto-sama, I brought over some curry, it's on the stove. It's still warm, so help yourself. I'll be back later with your dinner."

"Ah, yeah, thanks Mariko-san," Naruto mumbled back, sloshing the water around nervously. He was really glad she hadn't gone in, or that she hadn't arrived any earlier, when he was walking through the room butt naked.

He had forgotten about her. Another benefit of the situation, he'd never have to clean again.

He had always hated scrubbing the tub clean after Kakashi had taken to it with porn in hand. Seriously, yuck.

He sighed again and leaned back once more. He wondered briefly about them, Kakashi and Jiraiya. They were probably insane with worry. But maybe, after he gave himself a little time to adjust, he would call them and tell them where he was, that he was okay.

The thought of calling reminded him of his new phone, and he decided he was pruned enough and began his attempt to get out, only to realize he had forgotten to grab a towel. Great, more walking butt naked, now with the addition of wet, through the freezing apartment. He let out an exasperated sigh and stood, feeling a little better and not quite so weak, stepping carefully out of the tub onto the cold floor. As quickly as possible he made his way to the cabinets where he vaguely remembered the towels were located and pulled one out, rubbing himself dry before peeking outside the bathroom, making sure the maid wasn't in the room.

When all was judged clear, he made his way out, creaking and freezing, to the drawers filled with his new underwear and quickly pulled one on. The clothes, as expected, had not made it onto the bed, and were lying mockingly on the floor. With a grunt of annoyance, he bent over and grabbed the clothes, gritting his teeth at the pain. Quickly he dressed and finally made his way back in to the rest of the apartment.

He gave a silent thanks to Mariko for turning on the heater. It was really starting to get cold…

He was still unsteady on his feet, but the pain was a little duller, and so on his way out of the bedroom he glanced at the clock on the dresser, noting the time of twelve past one and the growl of his stomach and made his slow way into the living room and kitchen.

The whole apartment was lit brightly, sunlight entering through all the windows and Naruto felt his spirits lift. This place was his now. What he and Sasuke had done the night before made it definite. This place and everything in it was his.

And now that he could really look at it, he realized what an amazing place it really was. Large and spacious, elegantly decorated, not too cluttered, and peaceful. Livable. Comfortable. While it wasn't quite like the house he had lived in with his father and Kakashi, it was still… home-like.

Feeling a little better, he made his way to the kitchen and searched the cabinets for some pain-killers, then scarfed down the warm curry and rice, gulped down some water, and made his way to the couch, where he decided he wasn't moving from for the rest of the day.

His last decision for the day before he turned on the TV and set his brain to "off" was, _That bastard better not even _think_ of doing that again anytime soon…_

Damn, that was all way too much trouble…


	37. Chapter 37

Yaay! I'm back, just like I said! Really, though, the next two weeks should be more or less consistent, and if my beta gets around to the other chapters I sent her, I should be able to go at least through new years (more if I get back to writing...). Alright, so not much more to say, so enjoy.

Disclaimer: me not own

Warnings: more cursing, annoying older brothers

beta'd by -Nightly Halo-

* * *

When the door to the apartment opened again, it was late in the evening, the sun already starting to make its descent. Mariko had come and gone with dinner. The TV was still on, but the lights weren't. A blond head was focused on the pictures moving on the screen, some anime show that Sasuke had never bothered to pay any attention to.

But mostly, on the whole, he was glad the blond hadn't noticed him yet. He was still a little… uneasy… about the events of the previous night.

He had woken up pretty early, even for his standards, to find himself in that bed, wearing no clothes, and that same blond now sitting on the couch beside him, equally bare of clothing. Naruto had been sleeping peacefully, almost a happy look on his face. And before he had noticed, he realized he was staring, utterly transfixed, at the blond who was now his.

And remembering all of the… intricate details of the night's events, and feeling his face heat up like nothing had ever stirred before, he jumped out of bed and got ready for work, vaguely remembering in the back of his jumbled mind that he had ditched the past couple of days and probably had stacks of paperwork to deal with.

That, and his brother…

He sighed. His brother would undoubtedly be at work, ready to ask question after question about his new lover. Damn Mariko, for mentioning that. Just because she was a most loyal servant didn't save her from his famous Uchiha wrath, which he would undoubtedly release upon her at his earliest convenience.

He had shuddered again at the thought of his brother as he walked out of the bathroom, ready for a long day of work. But, strangely, he felt something else… refreshed, maybe. Somehow, he had this strange sensation running through his body that, whatever evils his brother may attempt to get him to speak up about this new lover of his, he would be able to handle it. In fact, as he made his way out of the door and into the shining Tokyo morning sunlight, he felt himself succumb to something utterly unnatural for any Uchiha (minus his mother, but then, she wasn't born Uchiha) to do- he smiled.

Did he dare think it? Today, this morning, he was… pleased with the world. This annoying world with so many annoying people (especially his brother). This world full of traffic and inconvenience and senselessness and women. Usually, all these things that irked him to no end, suddenly, none of it mattered. Today the chill morning air was refreshing, the murmur of passing people wasn't irritating, he didn't mind waiting at the light for it to change so he could cross the street, he didn't mind the outright stare and drool of the girl across the counter as he waited for his morning manjuu(1), he didn't mind anything. Everything was… fine.

It was a new experience for him, Uchiha Sasuke, youngest son of the Uchiha's head family. All his life he had been irritated by so many things, so many people, but now… it just didn't seem important.

As he walked back to where his car was parked, steaming manjuu in hand, he reflected on the change. And in his mind appeared that face again, those beautiful blue eyes. He actually almost found himself thinking maybe his brother was right; all he needed was a good lay.

He erased that thought from his mind when he nearly ran into a pole, reminding himself it was taboo to ever even _consider_ that Itachi could be _right_ about _anything_. And with that thought firmly in mind he arrived safely at work, parked in his reserved spot and made his way up to his office.

And another good thing happened. Itachi didn't show up for work.

Maybe it was just a wish come true, or that he had just forgotten Itachi was scheduled to attend some conference today, but he was pleased. Another day of dodging the one person who could really get under his skin. And so, his day went pleasantly. And now… now he was back.

Naruto continued to stare intently at the screen, jumping up and cheering at the show, before it cut to commercials and he groaned in irritation. Sasuke got a sudden flashback of last night at the sound.

The sudden shriek caught him off guard as he was muddled in his thoughts.

Refocusing on the blond, big blue eyes stared back, and Naruto was biting his lower lip. Dark eyes focused on the action, and seeming to notice the attention, Naruto stopped.

And glared.

That… wasn't the reaction Sasuke was expecting. But then, the blond had been surprising him a lot. Not that he could say he knew enough about the blond to be able to anticipate reactions, but still.

"Uh… Tadaima." Did he just say what he thought he had? Since when did he start using words like "I'm home"? He had barely, begrudgingly said it to his mother, but now…?

"Okaeri, Bastard."

Okay… Bastard? Had he missed something?

Sasuke frowned and put his suitcase on the floor and pulled off his shoes, feeling those eyes still glaring at him. His day didn't feel so great anymore, needless to say. He cleared his throat and walked further into the room, still feeling those eyes on him, even when the show came back on and the battle to save the day resumed.

"Where were you all day?" The blond finally spoke. Sasuke could hear the annoyance in his voice.

"At work," Sasuke replied, not liking that his voice had nearly failed him. What the hell was going on? He was Uchiha Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke does not get intimidated, least of all by a cute, shrimpy blond who was… still… just sitting there on the couch.

He stopped where he was and frowned back at the blond. "Is there something wrong?"

"Asshole!" Naruto shouted, and Sasuke suddenly had a face full of fluffy black pillow. He stared, once more shocked, at the piece of furniture now at his feet.

"What the hell kind of manners were you taught!" Naruto continued. "Just leaving me to wake up all alone. It was my first time, you jerk. You were supposed to be there and… and…"

Sasuke looked back up to see the slight redness in the blond's cheeks, which could be seen mostly due to the bright lights coming from the TV screen.

"And you didn't even leave me any medicine. My back hurt like hell and I couldn't even stand properly!"

A dark eyebrow went up and, he couldn't help it, he smirked. "Oh? Is that what this is about? You wanted me to carry you around the apartment princess style?"

"Wha-" He was satisfied by the incoherent sounds now emerging from the blond's mouth, and he, once more confident, and extremely pleased with himself, made his way to the couch and leaned down, silencing those stuttering lips with his own. He was much pleased to feel how quickly the blond surrendered.

This… this is what he had wanted; ever since his eyes met those blue ones. And now… everything was as it should be. He pulled the blond up, a bit of protesting from the blond once more quickly silenced as he took as much of the blond's weight as he could on himself and led them to the bedroom, where he was soon on top of the blond and pulling his clothes off.

Things were finally, finally going well.

Until his phone rang.

"Fuck!" Sasuke growled as he recognized that ring tone. It was his brother. And his brother could not be ignored. If Sasuke didn't answer quickly, the asshole would keep calling for the rest of the night.

Reluctantly he crawled off of his blond and pulled his phone out of his pants pocket and answered.

"What," he growled into the phone. Naruto was starting to sit up and turned the lamp beside the bed on.

"What a pleasant greeting, as always, little brother. I heard you made it into work today."

Sasuke grit his teeth. "And I was glad to see you didn't."

"It was unavoidable, I'm afraid. But worry not, dear little brother. Tomorrow I will be there, all ready to hear all about this new _lover_ of yours. And of course, arrangements shall be made so that we may be introduced at the earliest possible convenience. Nothing could keep me from such an occasion."

Sasuke grit his teeth. "Of course not." _That would be hoping for too much,_ he added in his mind.

"Um, Sasuke?" Naruto interrupted. Sasuke's attention returned to his blond.

"Sasuke, who was that?" Itachi's voice perked up. Sasuke scowled and covered the phone as best he could.

"What is it?"

"Could you help me back to the living room?" Sasuke sighed. So much for his plans for the night. For a second he considered hanging up on his brother and resuming, but then he remembered his brother was the devil and would likely interrupt again. Especially now that the bastard knew he was with _someone._ Someone on a first name basis with him.

He sighed in defeat. "Yeah, whatever." He uncovered the phone and spoke quickly, "I'll call you back," and hung up. He let the phone fall on the bed and reached for the blond, who quickly wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck and waited to be lifted. Dark eyes met those expectant blue, and suddenly, again, everything else was forgotten and Naruto once again was pinned to the bed.

The phone started ringing again.

"Damn it," Sasuke growled as he pulled away from his blond again. Naruto was frowning.

"Who is that?" he inquired innocently.

Sasuke rubbed irately at his eyes, trying to relieve the growing migraine and spoke before thinking. "My brother."

He didn't notice Naruto's eyes widening. "You have a brother?"

Sasuke's eyes shot open and he glared at the blond. Naruto blinked back up at him in confusion at the look. The phone was still ringing.

"We'll talk about this later." Sasuke sat up and grabbed the phone, making his way out into the living room, lights turning on in his wake.

Naruto frowned.

"He's… kind of a jerk…" Naruto muttered to himself. He sighed and let his head fall on the pillow, suddenly feeling exhausted. Right, he still wasn't a hundred percent, and his back still ached a little. Plus he had been worked up all day, not knowing where Sasuke had disappeared to. But now, he found himself lulled by the comfortable bed, and was soon asleep.

Sasuke walked in an hour later to see the blond curled up on the bed, covers pushed to all corners.

With a long-suffering sigh, brought on by the ever annoying creature known to all as his brother, he rubbed at his head again and prepared to sleep as well. Maybe things would be better in the morning.

Like hell.

* * *

(1) steamed meat buns


	38. Chapter 38

Alright, next chapter! See, I'm actually keeping up... for now. Let's hope it continues.

Warnings: super short chapter

Disclaimer: kaze owns not

beta'd by -Nightly Halo-.

* * *

Perhaps things were not progressing as… unimpeded as he would have expected. After all, as Uchiha Itachi, all things should- _were-_ opened to him, no information unattainable. But somehow, the required knowledge as pertaining to that blond his sweet little brother had taken in was… not as forthcoming as he would have liked.

He pondered the matter as he walked through the front doors of the illustrious Uchiha building and made his way across the lush carpeted and marbled floors to the private elevator. Today his adorable little brother would be returning to work, but that was no guarantee that he would get the information which he sought. Sasuke could be… _stubborn_ at times. And this matter seemed would be especially so.

Not that Sasuke could be stubborn to the point Itachi would gain no new information. After all, Sasuke had proven on more than one occasion that he couldn't keep all information to himself. Just recently he had slipped up after all.

Disregarding the formidable Mai, that maid which Sasuke had taken into his employ (she had proven to be more than even the Magnificent and Awe-inspiring Uchiha Itachi could handle), he knew no one else could withstand him.

But Sasuke was an Uchiha, so Itachi would not underestimate him.

Still, he would know all in time.

Itachi smirked to himself as the elevator's doors opened and he stepped out into the lobby by his office.

He was determined to uncover the mystery. He had, of course, put two and two together easy enough. Sasuke had gone to see his "lover" (information supplied by the cunning maid herself), and the blond had gone missing, all in the same night. He knew it was all a distraction, but still, it seemed plausible the maid would use a bit of truth in her lure. After all, most wouldn't suspect it after being fooled.

Not that THE Uchiha Itachi had been fooled by a mere maid. Of course not.

He cleared his throat and glared at the secretary, daring her to say otherwise. She shrieked and dropped what she was carrying.

He opened the door to his office and sat in his imposing leather swivel chair, twirling around as he thought. Nothing cleared his mind like a good spin.

And then there was the factor of Sasuke apparently having located a new dwelling (this he knew through the fact that Sasuke had not been returning to the Uchiha manor), coupled with Mayuri apparently having another location to tend to, and the fact he had heard Sasuke had gotten a realtor recently- (though which realtor exactly he had not had luck uncovering, but that would be remedied in time), plus Sasuke having picked up the blond in the first place. All that added up to only one answer- the blond was the new lover.

But as generous as his dear baby brother was, even he wouldn't do something without an ulterior motive. He was an Uchiha after all.

There was really only the matter of discovering where said blond could be now.

Yes, Sasuke would be returning to work soon, and there was still that which needed to be answered. And that question _would _be answered, one way or another. Sasuke wouldn't be able to hide it for long.

He wasn't Uchiha Itachi for nothing.


	39. Chapter 39

Alright, time for my weekly update of Storms! I still have a few more chapters, left ready, but to be honest, I haven't really been writing uch. I've been lazy. But I will try to keep ahead of posting, so please be patient with me.

Diclamer: I do not own

Warnings: lots of notes

Thanks to my beta, -Nightly Halo-.

* * *

Once more Naruto awoke to an empty bedroom. The signs of the jerk having slept in the bed with him were there, but the jerk himself was nowhere to be seen.

Naruto sighed and sat up, suddenly realizing the pain in his backside had finally cleared up and he was full of energy. His stomach growled.

That was a good sign. And the lovely smell of food wafting in was yet another.

Happily, he jumped out of bed and made his way to the bathroom to take a bath and change clothes, plans beginning to form in his mind. He washed quickly, grabbed some clothes and shoved them on, not really bothering to straighten up properly before bouncing into the kitchen and dropping himself heavily onto the stool behind the counter, his chopsticks poised and ready to dig in to the still empty plate before him.

Mariko looked up in surprise, having not noticed him, and in surprise at all of the energy emanating from him all of a sudden.

"Well, you seem ready for the day."

Naruto grinned at her. She smiled and nodded and loaded up his bowl with the steaming noodles and left to gather up laundry to take with her and do back at the manor.

Naruto watched her as she straightened up the living room and brushed away imaginary dust from the empty bookshelves and off of the polished furniture.

She smiled at him once more before she headed out the door. He waved.

Once she and the noodles were gone, he jumped off the bench and quickly inspected the room, making a list in his head of all that he needed to make this place more comfortable. He glanced out of the window at the gray skies and smiled. Heading back to the bedroom, he went through the closet once more, grabbing for a jacket and scarf currently taking up residence there and secured them around himself.

He wandered back into the living room and began searching through drawers in the kitchen, on the table, coffee table, on the entertainment center, and then went back into the bedroom, once more looking through the drawers. He gave a triumphant shout when he found a key on the nightstand by Sasuke's side of the bed.

Naruto headed toward the front door then, just to check. He opened the door and locked it, but didn't shut it, and used the key in his hand to unlock it. It worked. His grin widened.

In a happy rush, he went back into the apartment, letting the door close behind him, and grabbed his phone and the card with his money which had been given to him by his new lover. He checked the phone, making sure it was on and fully charged, put the card securely in his pocket, grabbed the key, and headed out.

Yes, today, he would explore the area around his new home.

He was looking forward to it.

From the view he had on the balcony, he could tell it was a nice area, but he wasn't high up enough, and the view wasn't so clear that he could get a bearing on where in the city he was exactly. So today, he had decided, he would check out the area, see what was in the vicinity, and see which train station was closest to where he now lived. Plus, if he could, he wanted to take out some money and get a new wallet and, hopefully, a few books.

With these thoughts in mind, he headed back for the door, walking out into the hallway and pausing to lock the door behind him, before at long last heading down the hallway to the elevator. His blue eyes wandered the passage, which really wasn't very large, close as he was to the elevator.

But it was nice. Pleasant. He smiled happily to himself as he pressed the button for the elevator, eyeing the lights along the walls and the large window to his right. The elevator _dinged_ and the doors opened, inviting him in. He pressed the button for the first floor and then the button for the doors to close and they did so obligingly, the transport taking him down to his desired floor. He noted quickly to himself he had gotten on on the sixth floor.

Getting to the bottom floor was quick, and the elevator doors opened onto the lobby. He stepped out quickly and gaped at the décor. It was beautiful, like a park. The tinkling of the water from the small waterfall was soothing, and the natural light falling into the room was just enough to give everything an airy feel. More and more he was liking this place.

He continued out to the doors, passing through another hallway, his eyes lingering on each picture he saw of beautiful landscapes, before nearly running into the doors. He laughed at himself for not paying attention to where he was walking and pushed the doors open. He stepped out onto the walkway and headed onto the path, eyes glancing upward and looking back at the building he had just come out of. He noted the whole natural look of the place, nodding his head at them, pleased at the appearance it gave the building. And he made note of the name of the apartment building he now resided at- _Konoha Villa._

Really, he was a little surprised the Jerk was able to find such a place, one that Naruto found himself increasingly happy to call "home"... He hummed happily to himself as he walked along the sidewalk of the busy street, looking all around at the stores. He found a convenience store at the end of the block, a Seven Eleven. He went in and bought himself an onigiri(1).

Another two blocks over he found a nice ramen restaurant, the name _Ichiraku_ written out on the old fashioned stand flaps. He made a mental note to eat lunch there. He did love ramen so…

He found a train station another block down, and realized he wasn't too far from Shibuya, which was quite something in itself. Shibuya was an expensive part of town, after all.

He went a little further, looking around at the apartment buildings and stores, and at the next light he decided to take a turn. He went to the right, walking down a few blocks, finding nothing really of interest. He turned back and went down further, passing the street he had originally come from and went straight, and about a block down he found a bank atm. He stopped to pull out some money, taking out ten thousand yen(2).

Turning back around, he headed back to his street, turning back onto it and heading the other way, passing the apartment building again, and about three blocks down and across the street, he found what he most wanted to find- a bookstore. It looked to be not very big, only a floor or two, and he could see there was a café as well. He crossed the street and peered in through the windows at the people sitting drinking steaming cups of tea or coffee or cocoa. It looked inviting. He pondered going in, but he felt a little uncomfortable going around without a wallet, so he turned away and kept walking.

A few more blocks down, and his prayers were answered. There was a Don Quijote(3). He grinned and ran back across the street and raced in through the front doors, ignoring the strange looks he was getting. Ah, Don Quijote, where you can find everything and anything. He wandered the aisles, heading up to the next level, and then the next, until at last he found the wallets and picked one out. He continued wandering, and soon he had accumulated a nice pile of useless junk to clutter his new apartment with. He smiled in glee and went to pay.

He stuffed his new wallet with the leftover yen and headed back outside. As soon as he emerged back out onto the street, his stomach rumbled, and he decided it was time to try that ramen place. He headed back, still trying to get his bearings and mumbled calculations in his head, deciding he would need to go to the bank again. Between the ramen and the books, he wouldn't have enough money.

He did have a lot of books to re-collect. That and his stomach was a bottomless pit when it came to ramen.

Smells from other restaurants wafted toward him, but his stomach, and mind, were set on that ramen, and he happily walked in after casting the menu posted on the window a quick glance. He pressed the handle of the door and it opened(4), and he went in and made himself comfortable on a stool. The restaurant was bright, light streaming in from the window, and the smells were heavenly. He licked his lips in anticipation.

A glass of water was placed before him and he looked up at the old man who stood there, smiling, and waiting for Naruto to order.

"Miso ramen, please!" was the quick response.

The man's smile widened and he nodded. "Coming right up." He turned and Naruto watched in awe, his mouth watering, as the old man cooked the delicious noodles. He could hear the slurping of the other customers, and the light murmurs of contentment and the stifled laughter of the young girl on the other end of the restaurant, serving a steaming bowl to a waiting customer.

"So, I've never seen you around here before," the old man said, drawing Naruto's attention back to him. Naruto grinned at the man.

"Just moved into the area."

"Really? It's a good area."

"Yeah. I really like it." Naruto watched happily as the steaming bowl was put in front of him and he grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the counter and broke them apart.

The old man watched, still smiling, as Naruto called out "Itadakimasu!" and dug in. Naruto's eyes lit up and he could feel his taste buds dancing at the deliciousness of the ramen. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes and he could hear angels singing.

"So good…" He murmured.

The old man laughed. "Glad you like it." He turned and went back to work making up another bowl for another customer.

Within a matter of minutes Naruto was staring down unhappily at an empty bowl. He sighed and placed it on the counter, and within another few seconds the old man was picking it up. Naruto grabbed onto the sleeve and tugged.

The old man looked at him quizzically.

"Another bowl please," Naruto requested.

The man smiled and got another ready.

The process repeated.

At the end of an hour, the old man could say he was impressed. The new blond customer had downed nearly ten bowls and finally seemed to have had his fill. He looked… very happy.

The old man shook his head as he pulled away the tenth bowl.

"Ah, that was so good," Naruto sighed contentedly.

"Glad you liked it, kid."

Naruto smiled.

"You can really put it away. You like ramen that much?"

"Are you kidding?" Naruto sighed again. "Ramen's only the best food in the world. The man who invented it was a genius…"

The old man laughed. "I guess we'll be seeing you a lot then."

"Oh yes." Naruto agreed. He sat up and looked at the man expectantly.

The man smiled and reached over to the register and put in the order.

"That'll be 5500 yen(5)."

"Hmm, I guess I really will need to head back to the bank," Naruto muttered to himself, taking out the last of his cash and handing over a 5000 yen bill and a 500 yen coin to the old man and stood, ready to head out.

"Thanks for your business!" The old man called as Naruto left the restaurant.

Once more out in the street, he strolled along the sidewalk back to the bank, considering in his mind how much he would need to pull out now. Lost in thought he strolled through the street, watching the tall buildings pass by, the occasional trees and the shops all lining the crowded street.

And once again he was at the bank. He walked in through the automatic doors and made his way to an atm, putting his card in to make another transaction. When asked how much he wanted, he thought again for a moment, before deciding, what the hell, and put in his amount- 50,000 yen(6).

The cash came out and he put it away in his wallet, then made his way back out into the streets, heading back in the direction of the bookstore. It seemed like the weather was getting colder still, and he pulled out his cell phone and noted it was after 2.

Not knowing exactly what time to expect the Jerk to make a reappearance, he made a quick decision. He'd go to the bookstore, and then go home. He was anxious for those books, knew he couldn't wait another day, and he was looking forward to not being bored the rest of the night.

* * *

(1) Onigiri seems like a word everyone knows the meaning to, but I thought I should put it in, just in case - "rice ball"

(2) about $100 - $110.48 if you wanna be specific

(3) No, I didn't make that up. It's a real store in Japan that is known to have EVERYTHING. I guess you could say it's a bit like a WalMart, maybe? With a different atmosphere, I guess- like a cramped toy store...

(4) Sorry for putting a note on this, it was just really hard for me to describe. Basically I mean an automatic sliding door, except you have to press the button. The button itself isn't a button though, more like a foot long black bar-like thing where the door's handle would be. You push on it and the door slides open. This is the kind of automatic doors you see in a lot of places in Japan, especially restaurants.

(5) About $60 ($60.76, to be exact)... Naruto really likes ramen...

(6) About $500 (or, according to today's exchange rate, $552.26)

FYI, today's exchange rate is 90.56 yen to the dollar (when I was in Japan it averaged about 110 to the dollar, *sigh*)


	40. Chapter 40

Merry Christmas (for those who celebrate it and whatnot)!! Another short little chapter, but at least I'm still updating! And it looks like, even though I haven't written anything recently, we still have a few weeks more before I run out - Maybe even another month. Anyways, enjoy! (And yay, I updated SA, too!!)

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, kazenoyouni owns nothing

Warnings: nothing really...

beta'd by -Nightly Halo- Yay! (I really will try to write something... eventually...)

* * *

Home. It was a bit funny, thinking of that apartment as "home". Funny, but nice. It had a very nice feel to it, but he knew in his heart, it never really would be "home". Home was where his father was. He would never have a "home" again.

A chilly wind blew into his face and he shook himself clear of the depressing thoughts. He was Uzumaki Naruto, and he hated to be depressed. And so, thinking again of the bookstore, he picked up the pace and was soon, once again, standing before it. He looked up at the building and felt a sigh of contentment come over him.

He really did love books.

Taking one more hesitant step forward, he regained his composure and walked in through the automatic doors, feeling the warmth of the place. He looked to his right and saw the café area, people happily sitting at tables or at the bar area, drinking their warm drinks, reading or chatting. It looked like the café was also where the books were paid for, seeing as there were a couple of people waiting to pay for their books there and no sign of other registers. And everywhere else he saw the shelves upon shelves of books, stretching off to the area in front of him and further to the back. To his right was a wide staircase along the window-lined wall, heading up to another floor.

He stepped further into the comfortable place, weaving his way through the shelves, his eyes skimming the bindings of all the books, trying to sort out how everything was organized.

Naruto perused the first level for a while, sure to have gone down every aisle, before making his way toward the stairs and to the next collection.

And again he walked down aisle after aisle, occasionally pulling out a book that caught his interest and making the decision to hold on to it or put it back. Soon he realized his arms were getting full, and he still hadn't gotten to his father's books.

He paused and thought for a moment, trying to decide if he should take everything he was holding and just head home, or if he should put some back so he could continue to explore. It was nice, the bookstore was small, but still had a lot of books so it seemed big. But while he really didn't like putting anything back, he still had his father's books to find. But then, he could just come back tomorrow right? There was plenty of time to fill those empty bookshelves.

He pondered the problem a moment longer and finally made his decision. He would take what he now held, and come back to finish perusing tomorrow.

He nodded to himself and made his way down to the main floor and to the registers, and when once it was his turn, he placed the pile of books on the counter and waited as the girl eyed them all. There were at least ten there…

Naruto smiled at her. She smiled hesitantly back.

"Did you find everything all right, sir?" she asked as she began to scan the books.

"I did. This place is great." He replied, smiling at her again. And as so many people had discovered over the years, Naruto's smile was excessively contagious. She found herself grinning in return.

Telling Naruto the total, he pulled out his money and paid for his books, now puzzling over how he would manage to get all his new possessions back to the apartment.

After a few moments of thinking, he piled up the bags in his arms, putting some bags inside others, and carried them, stumbling, out of the bookstore and into the street, a cold wind blowing by as soon as he stepped out of the warm building, and following him all the way back to the doors of the apartment building named _Konoha Villa_ where he now lived.

He managed this way to make it to the door let the stuff he had purchased fall to the floor of the hallway, huffing from the exertion he wasn't used to- he had never been very athletic- and pulled out the key to his new apartment. He opened the door, and one bag at a time, managed to get it into the apartment.

The room was warm, and bigger than he remembered it being. _Must be since I got away from it for a little while_, he thought to himself. He kicked his shoes off and left them wherever it was they happened to land, against the door, in a flower pot, whatever, and made his sock-clad way into the room, scratching at his head as he pondered the best location for his new purchases.

His eyes fell on the empty bookshelves and nodded to himself, pulling off his scarf and dumping it on the couch as he headed that way, suddenly deciding the room was too quiet. He turned the TV on, flicked through the channels till he found a tolerable anime show, "Kick his ass, Senpai!" some random character shouted as some other guy got punched in the face, and headed back to the door, carefully picking up the books out of the bags.

He eyed them each as he held them, letting his eyes scan the covers happily before he moved to set them on the bookshelf. He left a space on the shelf most convenient to his height- that's where he liked to have his favorite books- easy access. He needed that space for his father's books, which now that he thought about it more, he felt a little ashamed he hadn't gone straight for those and left the rest. But he decided, he would definitely go back tomorrow.

And maybe try some of those cakes in that coffee shop…

As soon as all the books were put up, he made his way to the rest of the bags, the clutter he had spent money on in the Don Quijote. He shuffled through the bags and began dropping stuff wherever he felt like it. A tacky little frog statue on the table, which he still hadn't sat at, now that he thought about it; a little stuffed fox on the couch; a picture of a cup of ramen, lovingly propped up on the counter by the stool he usually sat at, placed in such a way for all to see and admire. He nodded happily at his work, decided he needed to go back to that store too, and made his way to the bookshelf, grabbed a book, and headed to the couch, ready to read.

He fell asleep fifteen minutes later.


	41. Chapter 41

OMG I am soo sorry!! I totally totally forgot to upload this chapter until, like, two minutes ago... I'm so sorry, please forgive me! I guess it doesn't matter how many chapters I have ready if I forget to post them up, huh? Oops. Well, I blame New Years (Happy New Years! by the way) and the crappy allergies that kept me up since 3 am this morning. Guh, stupid evil allergies! Alrgith, but seriously, here's the next chapter. (I'm so sorry, really, please don't kill me!)

(And OMG, since when did I get over a thousand reviews for this story???)

Disclaimer: kaze doesn't own anything but stupid allergies to stupid mountain cedar

Warnings: copious amounts of ramen... that's about it

beta'd by -Nightly Halo-. I've finished a couple more chapters, but I'm not sure about them yet, so I'll send them after I've decided they're decent enough (wow, that could be forever....)

* * *

It had been such a long time since he had last had so much free time. He really didn't know what to do with himself for the rest of the day.

His nap really hadn't lasted very long, but now that he was awake, he was wondering how he would spend his days from now on. He figured he could get a job, but… Why? He didn't need the money. His hand wandered up to where the crystals of his necklace used to hang, and he frowned when he couldn't find it, remembering with a painful stab that he didn't have it anymore.

The door opened.

He turned to see who it was, maid or Jerk, and frowned when he saw the spiked hair. Damn, it was the Jerk.

He turned back to the TV with an irritated pout, trying his best to ignore the sounds of the Jerk taking off his jacket and hanging it up on the rack, picking up his shoes and placing them neatly by the door, taking off his own shoes and lining those up as well, and walking further into the apartment.

He heard the Jerk stop by the table and pick something up, no doubt his tacky little frog statue, put it back down and walk to the couch. He could almost feel the Jerk standing behind him, could almost feel those dark eyes burrowing into the back of his head.

"You still pissed at me?" the deep voice asked.

Naruto continued to pout at the TV. "Maybe," he replied childishly.

"Hmn. Then I suppose it will please you to know my brother made my day a living hell."

Naruto finally turned to look at Sasuke, who was now pulling off his gloves, tossing them onto the white couch.

"Oh?" he inquired, despite his own irritation with the man.

Sasuke sighed irritably and turned toward the bedroom. "I'm going to take a shower. Mariko should be arriving soon to make dinner."

Naruto frowned at the lack of explanation and turned back to the TV, turning up the volume, hoping it would annoy the other man. He leaned back on the couch and grabbed for his book, proceeding to tune out whatever show was coming on now.

He read a few pages, nodded here and there at an exceptionally well-written phrase or use of a good vocabulary word or advanced kanji (he was a writer's son, after all), and waited for the Jerk to make his appearance again. It was really strange actually, when he thought about it. Sure, he liked to start arguments with Kakashi and Jiraiya, but that's because they were perverts and were close family members without actually being related by blood. But still, somehow, he wanted to argue with the Jerk. He wanted to get the other man irritated. Maybe it was just because he was irritated, not so much for being forced to wake up alone after his first time, but because they were interrupted yesterday…

_Wait…_ Naruto thought suddenly, nearly dropping his book. _Did I really just think that? Am I really pissed that we _didn't_ do anything last night? That can't be right…_

He could feel his face flush as he realized, really, it was true. At least a little, anyways…

He put his book down on the sofa harder than he had intended, and while it was a comfortable piece of furniture, the book was a bit fat, and it still hurt. He examined a finger intently for any sign of a paper cut, trying to fight back the blush.

He looked up at the appearance of the other man casually walking back into the room. He had changed into casual clothes, his shirt open and his sweat pants hanging a little low on his hips, and Naruto had to fight back another blush, plus the urge to drool.

_What the hell is wrong with me??_

He focused back on his hand, chewing intently on his bottom lip, trying his best to ignore the Uchiha who had made his way into the kitchen. He watched out of the corner of his eye as the dark-haired man opened the fridge and examined the contents, occasionally pulling out an item before deciding against it and returning it.

The TV was really loud.

"How long are you going to pretend to look at your hand?" Sasuke asked at last, closing the fridge door, hands empty.

Naruto nearly jumped and reached for the remote, lowering the volume.

"I just… thought I had a paper cut."

"If you had a paper cut, you would have known it a long time ago. And where the hell is that damn Mariko."

Naruto blinked at the irate looking Uchiha. "Um…"

"She was supposed to be here long ago. I'm hungry." The man really did look irritated. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his shiny black phone, checking for messages.

"Che, it looks like we're on our own. She can't make it. Honestly, what are maids for?" He put his phone on the counter and turned toward the blond who was still staring intently, still chewing on his lip.

Suddenly the irate look disappeared and he made his way closer to the blond, leaning over the back of the couch and forcing a kiss on the surprised blond.

Naruto pulled away, stunned. His hand went up to his lips, his blue eyes wide and fixed to the other man's face. Sasuke smirked.

"How much longer are you going to be surprised about all of this?"

Naruto's face went red.

Sasuke pulled away again and looked out of the window. "So, what do you want for dinner?"

Naruto blinked at him a moment, then grinned. "Ramen!"

Sasuke stood frozen in his tracks, looking questioningly at the grinning blond. "Ramen?"

"Mn," Naruto nodded abruptly, his grin widening. Sasuke thought a moment, his brows furrowing.

"I don't even know of a ramen place nearby." In truth, he really just didn't want ramen. He really didn't get what the big deal with it was. But thinking on it, he turned a bit, eyes going to that strange picture he had noticed as he had passed the counter. A framed picture of a cup of ramen. Something was definitely weird here…

"I know a place! And they have the best ramen ever! It's real close! Why don't we go now?" And Naruto jumped up from the couch, ready to go.

Sasuke sighed and rubbed his forehead. "You know, I'm a bit tired. Why don't we just order in."

Naruto nodded excitedly. "I'll look up the number!" Without waiting for a response the blond took off to look for his phone, getting on the internet and searching for the number his top priority at the moment. His stomach rumbled.

He really wasn't sure why (or when) he'd had agreed to have ramen for dinner, but at the moment, he didn't think _anyone _had the energy to deal with the suddenly hyper active blond. _Still beautiful, but kind of an idiot,_ was Sasuke's thought.

Perhaps a little too fast, Naruto had found the number and was dialing it into his new phone. Sasuke turned and sat on the couch, picking up the remote and flipping through channels as he listened to the blond order energetically.

"Yeah, so, I need an order of… Hey, Bastard, what kinda ramen do you like?"

Sasuke waved off the question. He didn't care.

"Alright, Make that… hmm... eleven bowls of miso pork ramen please!"

A dark brow rose at the "eleven bowls". Why _eleven _bowls? Why not just two? Did they need eleven bowls?

He glanced at the blond, who was energetically bouncing up and down on the stool he was sitting at by the counter, nodding and "uh-huh"-ing into the phone. He was slim, slight; no way could he eat even two bowls. And Sasuke doubted he would even finish one- he really didn't care for ramen. His dark eyes fell to that picture again… A framed picture of a cup of ramen. Seriously, what kind of a person buys something like that?

He looked again at his blond, sighing at what he had gotten himself into.

The blond interrupted his thoughts.

"Oi, Bastard, what's the address to this place?"

Sasuke muttered off the address and Naruto repeated it into the phone, and with a happy, nearly shouted "Thank you!" he hung up.

And promptly saved the phone number onto his new cell.

Sasuke grunted in annoyance. _What the hell was that? The first number he saves is for some ramen restaurant? He really is an idiot. Damn._

"How exactly did you find this ramen place again?" Sasuke asked, still rubbing at his forehead.

"Hmm? Oh, I went out today. Went to the bookstore, found a bank and the ramen place. It's called Ichiraku, and they seriously have the best ramen ever! Really! It was so good!"

Sasuke frowned. "You said you found it today? And you already know it's good? Doesn't that mean you had ramen for lunch?

Naruto beamed at him. "Yup!"

"And now you're going to have it for dinner?"

Naruto's grin grew larger and he nodded.

…_Idiot_. Sasuke gave up. He was never going to understand this guy. "Hn, I guess you really like ramen," he said offhandedly, going back to flipping channels.

"I do! I really do! It's the best food in the world!"

Sasuke glanced back at him and couldn't help smiling just a little. The blond really looked happy. That such a small, unimportant thing like ramen could cheer him up so much…

Sasuke went back to the TV.

"So what else did you do today? I noticed that tacky little frog on the table."

"Un, I bought that today too. It's great huh?" Naruto was still grinning. "And I found a bookstore and bought a bunch of books. I'm gonna go buy some more tomorrow."

Sasuke glanced at the bookshelf and noted that it had, in fact, been stocked with a few books. He nodded and made a note to peruse them later. He did like books, after all, and he was a bit curious (not that Uchiha's ever got _curious_ about things- if they wanted to know something, it was their right to find out _immediately_. Curiosity wasn't an Uchiha trait) about the kind of books Naruto liked.

"I see. Sounds like you had a full day."

"Hmm, I guess. I did have fun. It's a nice neighborhood." Naruto nodded, thinking about it. It really was nice. It had a few more trees than he was used to seeing in the middle of Tokyo, and It was… comfortable. He nodded to himself and glanced at the door, wondering how long it would be for his food to arrive. He was nearly drooling.

"So why couldn't Mariko-san make it?" he asked.

"Hn. Something about the arrangements for her wedding. About the dress or something."

Naruto's eyes went wide. Wedding? "Mariko-san is getting married?"

Sasuke shrugged and changed the channel.

The door buzzed.

Torn between pressing for answers or getting his ramen, his stomach decided for him and he headed to the door and pulled it open. Naruto immediately reached for the ramen, wrapped up in a big cloth covered package and headed into the room, mouth watering, leaving the Bastard to pay the guy.

Sasuke stood and headed to the door, pulling his wallet out, amazed at having to pay so much for ramen. Wasn't the stuff supposed to be cheap? But then, this was _eleven _bowls. He shook his head slightly and handed over the money, deciding it wasn't worth the trouble to think about it too much and closed the door. As he turned and looked at the blond, he nearly jumped in surprise when he saw Naruto was already swallowing down the last of his first bowl.

_What the hell?_ Sasuke thought as he watched the plastic bowl get tossed in the general direction of the trash and a new bowl being picked up and quickly scarfed down.

He sighed and rubbed at his head before finally making his way toward the blond and the food. He sat down and reached for a bowl, nearly getting his hand clipped off as the blond idiot grabbed it before he could and began to gobble down his third bowl.

He tried again and successfully managed to grab a bowl a safe distance from the blond and opened the top, grabbing for a spoon and digging in. As Sasuke began eating his own bowl, he did note that this ramen was better tasting than the stuff he was used to eating. This time he thought, maybe he'd be able to actually eat it.

"So, what do you plan on doing tomorrow?" Sasuke asked, wondering if he'd get an answer, since the idiot seemed a bit too intent on eating.

But Naruto actually paused to think about it. "I'm definitely gonna go back to the bookstore. But other than that, I don't know."

Sasuke nodded. "Did you have enough money?"

"Yup! I had to go to the bank a couple of times, but… I don't think I'd ever be able to spend all the money that's in that account."

"I'll make sure to put some more soon, just in case."

Naruto eyed the dark-haired man wearily. "Whatever," he sighed at last, going back to gulping down the ramen.

As Sasuke finished off his bowl, he noted suddenly that the last bowl was being gulped down by the blond, and he shook his head and stood up. No wonder the blond had so much energy, after all that ramen he had just eaten.

When he saw there was no more ramen that needed to be eaten, Naruto got up and headed back to the couch, making himself comfortable as he scanned channels, until he found something worth watching and picked up his book.

As Sasuke came around the couch, he raised an eyebrow at the sight.

"If you aren't going to watch TV, why did you bother changing the channel?" he inquired.

Naruto looked up, a "Does that even need an answer" look on his face. Then he went back to reading.

Sasuke sighed and sat on the couch beside his blond and grabbed the remote. Naruto ignored him.

But after a few more minutes, the blond peered over his book and asked, "What did you mean earlier about your day being hell?"

Sasuke never took his eyes off of the TV. "My brother is a demented Know-it-all. Let's just leave it at that. "

Naruto frowned and shrugged. _Whatever… Jerk._


	42. Chapter 42

Yay, I'm remembering to upload on time this week! So I admit, I haven't made any progress writing this past week, but don't worry, we still have a couple of weeks before it becomes a problem. Looking at how many reviews this story has gotten, I really wanna thank everyone who has contributed to the over a thousand number. I'm sorry I don't reply to your reviews, but I read every one of them and they make me very happy. I hope I can continue to write an enjoyable story, and we still have a ways to go, so I hope you'll all continue to read and review. Alright, so on to the story!

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: Naru-angst

beta'd by -Nightly Halo-. She liked this chapter.

* * *

Another windy day, but that didn't bother Naruto. He was excited. Today was the day he would definitely buy all of the books his father had written, the books he had once owned before. And while they wouldn't have the same value, the same meaning, they were still the books his father wrote, they were still a connection to him.

He made his way through the increasingly chilly weather to the bookstore, happily entering it and taking in the warmth of the store. There weren't many people there, but then, it was the middle of the day during the week. Most people were working.

He glanced around at the crowded bookshelves and wandered through the aisles, noting the names of interesting looking books he might try buying later.

It was peaceful. But then, he had always found bookstores to be peaceful. There was a warmth about them, a familiar feeling of comfort. It probably had a lot to do with his father.

He could remember going to a bookstore a long time ago during the winter time, when he was maybe five or six, walking with his little mittened hand in his father's big warm one, walking through the doors of a neighborhood bookstore and walking down the aisles together. He could remember the warmth of the building, the smell of new books and old books all mingling together to create that unique smell. Even now he loved the smell of books.

And then there was the feeling of being somewhere friendly, the way the people they passed in the aisles all smiled at them, the way his father smiled back and then glanced down at him, those sparkling blue eyes carrying warmth and love.

And he could remember stopping in front of a far bookshelf, his father pointing to one of the new books shelved there, pulling it down and showing it to him. It was his father's first book, and he could remember how proud his father had looked, showing him the pages.

He took a breath and closed his eyes, a smile on his face as he remembered, running his fingertips against the bindings of the lined up books.

He really loved bookstores.

Snapping himself out of the memory, he headed upstairs to where he father's books were shelved. He felt really warm, like he was home, as he walked up those stairs, his eyes glancing to and fro, looking out the windows along the side of the stairwell, watching the outside world from the warmth of the bookstore. Like he was in a different world maybe.

He smiled to himself as he got to the landing and headed toward the books. He could still smell the coffee from the café downstairs. Now he noted how open this floor was, how one could look over a railing and see the lower level and the café. No wonder it still smelled so good up here.

He wandered the aisles, looking for his father's books, and when he finally saw them, he stopped in surprise. There was entire shelf dedicated just to his father's books.

Beside that, there were books of critiques of his father's books, and there were others paying tribute to his father and his work. Naruto smiled, thinking how happy his father must be to know he had made so many people happy with the words he had written.

Naruto approached the shelf and began to pull one of each of his father's books out and into his arms. As he took each one, he examined the cover, scanned the synopsis, and smiled as he remembered each one, remembered how long ago they were written, what they were about, what his father's own opinion on each had been.

There were nine books total, and Naruto examined most carefully the last. It was his father's last book, and the copy he now held in his hand was a new edition, complete with essays from some of his father's most prominent fans.

He frowned.

There was an essay written by his grandfather in there…

His grandfather, who had disowned his father all those years ago. The grandfather who had now taken everything that was supposed to be Naruto's now that his father was gone. The grandfather that didn't know his father at all.

Naruto was never one to get angry easily. He wasn't the kind of person who experienced "hate". No matter what, he was understanding, sympathetic, and above all, patient (even though it didn't always seem that way). Always, he tried to understand people, why they did what they did, why they felt the way they felt. He didn't argue easily, not seriously anyway, unless it was something really, really important to him.

But now, after all that had happened, even though he felt more or less like the same person as before, he couldn't hold back the hatred for his so called "family". It was unbearable, that they do what they were doing. Not just to him, but to his father. They really didn't know Namikaze Minato at all. And yet they acted like they did. Like they understood him better than he did.

Naruto clenched the book harder until his hand hurt. He wanted to know. He would buy it, because he wanted to know what it was his grandfather thought he knew about his father. He _had_ to know.

With his father's books in hand, he headed back to the stairs and made his way down to the main level and to the registers. He walked stiffly with that stifling anger, his brows constricted as he thought what words could be hidden in the book he held, wondering what that man had dared to write.

He took the last step abruptly, and stopped. He had dropped one of the books, and as he looked down at it where it had fallen, it lay open to a picture of his father's kind, smiling face. Right underneath the picture were the simple words "To my son, without whom I would have no reason to go on living."

Naruto gulped and carefully squatted on the last step over the book and his father's smiling face.

He remembered that picture, the day it had been taken. It was one of his father's earlier books, written when Naruto was around eight or nine years old. That morning Naruto hadn't been feeling well. Naruto was of a very good disposition, he rarely ever got sick, so his father had panicked. It really wasn't serious, just a slight cough, but his father had insisted Naruto wasn't to go to school. Even though he had called Tsunade and she had said it was nothing more than a slight- very slight- cold, his father had been firm.

But with no one to watch Naruto if he stayed at home, Minato had called in, said that he couldn't go to whatever studio the picture was supposed to be taken. The photographer had ended up going to the apartment they had lived in at the time, and had taken the picture as Minato tended to Naruto, who was well enough to run around the apartment in protest of not being allowed to eat ramen for lunch.

After that Minato had been forced to admit Naruto would have been fine going to school that day.

As the memory finished playing itself out in his head, Naruto sat on that last step, his eyes never leaving his father's face. He suddenly felt guilty. Even after everything that had happened, even though now he was at least somewhat happy, he had let those people destroy what he had again. He knew, his father wouldn't want that.

Carefully he picked up the book and returned it to the pile and headed, now much more calmly to the register. He wouldn't let his bastard grandfather ruin the day he had planned. He would ignore the essay. He would pay for the books and buy some coffee, and maybe one of those yummy smelling cakes. He would sit down at one of those comfy looking tables and he would start from the first book, spending the rest of his time in the bookstore today reading and eating and enjoying himself. He would ignore that essay, for today anyway.

And that's exactly what he did.


	43. Chapter 43

So here we go, the next chapter. Hopefully you all like this one, it's a fun chapter, the end anyways. So look forward to next week's continuation! Also, I'm so glad so many of you enjoyed the last chapter. I love books, especially that new book smell... Ah, ecstacy... Like eating salmon sashimi with just the right amount of wasabi mixed into the soy sauce after craving it for over a year...

Uh... anyways, enjoy!

Disclaimer: me no own

Warnings: Mwahahaha, an unexpected surprise

beta'd by - Nightly Halo-, who now has the next three chapters to beta...

* * *

"So, when are you gonna tell me about the whole Mariko-san getting married, thing?" Naruto asked suddenly as he sat curled up on the couch, a book in his hands. Sasuke was sitting at the other end, a book he had pulled off of the shelf opened about half-way through, a pair of black-framed reading glasses perched on his perfect nose, adding yet another level of extreme sexiness to his appearance.

Not that Naruto thought such a thing. Of course not. Hadn't even crossed his mind…

"I wasn't aware there was something to tell," Sasuke replied, not even bothering to look away from his book.

Naruto pouted. "Hey, Jerk. I wanna know."

"Then ask her, and let me read in peace."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at the Bastard and went back to his book.

* * *

It really was getting colder, Naruto thought as he watched the news that morning. The man was talking about temperature fronts and a bunch of other things Naruto really didn't understand, but he could understand those little pictures indicating snow and the temperature readings. But then, it only made sense that it would get colder. It was already almost December, after all. Fall was nearing its official end, and then the cold months of winter would begin.

It really was amazing. Three months ago he was still happily living with his father.

The door opened as the news finished and he flipped the channel, searching for something more interesting to watch. He selected a random drama as Mariko made her way to the couch where he sat. She bowed when she came level with the couch and smiled at him.

"Ohayou gozaimasu(1) Naruto-sama."

"Ohayou, Mariko-san." Naruto smiled back.

"Are you hungry, Naruto-sama?" she inquired as she made her way over to the kitchen, grabbing for a bag she had brought with her filled with more food for the apartment.

"Um, I am a little," he answered as he watched her start lunch.

"I'll have something fixed momentarily," she replied. He nodded.

After a moment of relative silence, Naruto decided to just ask and get it over with. The curiosity was driving him crazy.

"Hey, Mariko-san?"

"Yes, Naruto-sama?"

"I heard… you know, from the bastard… uh," he nervously scratched at his cheek. "I heard you were getting married."

She looked up from what she was doing and smiled at him. "I am, Naruto-sama."

Blue eyes went wide and he made his way to the counter, sitting at a stool comfortably and learning on his hands, elbows on the counter. "Really? To whom? When? How long have you been engaged?"

Mariko looked a little startled by all of his questions, but she smiled a very happy smile and spoke. "I had no idea you would be so interested, Naruto-sama. I hadn't mentioned it before as it wasn't something that normally comes up. But it is something I am very happy about."

Naruto nodded and waited, restraining himself from jumping up and down on the counter in excitement.

"He's someone who works for the Uchihas, I met him when he attended a gathering at the Uchiha Manor. But that was some years ago," she began, tilting her head at him before going back to preparing his lunch. "We started seeing each other not long after that, and we've been engaged for about two months. We're planning the wedding for the spring."

"Wow," Naruto sounded, looking truly amazed. "Congratulations. I'm really happy for you."

"Thank you, Naruto-sama."

He smiled at her again as she continued to fix his lunch.

"Naruto-sama, is all of your dirty laundry together?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah." He scratched at the back of his head, a little wary still of having some lady clean his dirty underwear. And it was still a little weird, having her also clean those sheets… Not that he and Sasuke had really had sex again after that first time. It was a little surprising, actually, how the Uchiha seemed to be so… patient with him.

A knock sounded at the door, pulling Naruto from what he had been thinking as he glanced at the entrance to his apartment, wondering who would be visiting _him_. Meanwhile, Mariko-san, like a good maid, headed towards the door, ready to welcome whatever guest had decided to drop in on her young master's lover.

She pulled the door opened, Naruto leaning dangerously away from the counter to stare curiously at the door, four fingers of his left hand clutching to the marble counter surface, all that was keeping him from losing his balance and falling to the floor.

Curiosity peaked when Mariko-san made a sound that was much like a squeak and tried to close the door abruptly.

"Who-" Naruto began, but stopped when the door refused to close and a set of long, pale fingers clutched the edge, like a wraith stalking up on its prey.

Naruto let out a girly (not that he'd ever admit it) squeal and lost his grip, landing on the hardwood surface of the floor, the stool he had been sitting on now sitting on him.

"Now, now, Mimori, don't be so rude," a silky voice scolded as the hand pushed the door in further, until at last a tall, black clad figure was able to stride (stride, if one can when they are still forcibly being shoved out of the door by a resolute maid) into the apartment. Naruto peeked through the steel frame of the stool at the figure, wondering why the man seemed so familiar…

Long dark hair, dark as night eyes, pale, vampire-like skin…

"Itachi-sama…" Mariko sighed.


	44. Chapter 44

Ugh, I can't believe it's Firday already... What happened to my week? Where did it go without me noticing?? Ugh.

Anyways, here we go, another week and another chapter. You all remember the lovely end to last chapter, ne? Well, now you get the lovely continuation (or, at least, I hope it's "lovely"). So now, on with the fun!

(ugh, my poor lost week...)

Disclaimer: I don't own much, but I don't own this

Warning: Itachi-ness

beta'd by - Nightly Halo-, who needs to send the next chapter back soon - hint hint.

* * *

"Itachi-sama," Mariko repeated, more confidently this time, closing the door as if she hadn't just been trying to force him out. "What an unexpected surprised." She frowned.

"Yes, yes, I'm sure it's a supreme pleasure to serve me in a location other than the Uchiha manor. A very fortunate servant you are, Misa."

"It's Mariko, Itachi-sama."

"Of course, of course," he muttered as he waved her off. "Now, where is my dear little brother's new… _friend_."

From his (very inconspicuous) hiding place beneath the fallen chair, Naruto could see the frown on Mariko-san's face as she glanced between him and this strange man who had invaded his apartment uninvited. Really, who did that??

"Itachi-sama, if I may inquire, what makes you think Sasuke-sama-?"

"Now, now, Sayuri, no more tricks. I happened to know, from a very… _reliable _source, that my wonderful little brother, out of the pure, overflowing goodness of his heart, purchased this very apartment for someone… _very _important. A _lover_, so I hear."

And the strange, scary man smiled a very frightening smile that made Naruto's spine tingle. He vaguely wondered if the man would notice a stool crawling away to hide…

"Itachi-sama, really now-" Mariko-san began again, but the man, _Itachi-sama,_ apparently, just waved her off once more. And finally those dark eyes rested on the upturned stool sitting on a human form, and an elegant dark brow rose.

And then Naruto put it all together. This strange man who kept talking about a "sweet little brother" who had bought this apartment, this man Mariko-san referred to as a "sama"… This man was Sasuke's brother!

_Yeah, no duh, genius,_ Naruto scolded himself as he peered up at the man approaching him, a look of disapproval on his face. _Maybe I really am as idiotic as everyone keeps telling me._

And now that he thought more about it, he recalled the other day when Sasuke and he had been… _enjoying_ themselves in the bedroom (or getting there, anyways), and Sasuke had gotten a phone call from who he said was his brother. So, that was this man then…

Naruto didn't know if to feel indignant or not at the interruption that day, and right now he still wasn't really sure. One thing he did know, however, was that this man was Sasuke's brother. This man was Sasuke's _family_, and to Naruto at least, family was important. He wanted to make a good impression, even if the topic of his brother seemed to irritate Sasuke. He wanted this Itachi person to like him.

But that disapproving look didn't bode well. Nor did the superior tone and…

But then, it really wasn't all that different from Sasuke, come to think of it…

Finally the man, Itachi, stopped just beside the stool. "And you are?" he inquired, looking down upon the poor stool.

"Uh… hi?" Naruto began hesitantly.

Mariko stepped in. "Itachi-sama, please, you're intimidating him." And she reached over and pulled the stool off of the blond and helped him to his feet, leaning in and whispering quickly in his ear, "Careful of what you say. This man is a demon in disguise. Just play dumb."

_Play dumb? That shouldn't be too hard… _Naruto thought dully as he stood upright and rubbed at the back of his head in embarrassment. _Hmm, maybe meeting your lover's family while hiding under a stool isn't such a good idea._

But remembering his manners, from somewhere very deep in his not fully functioning brain- his father had tried to teach him such things, however hopeless it had seemed at the time- he dropped his hand and looked at the man and bowed politely. "Hello, I'm Uzumaki Naruto. It's a pleasure to meet you, Itachi-san."

Naruto peered at the man, heat flooding his cheeks as he noted Itachi-san staring at him impassively, dark eyes scanning him with little interest, an occasional "Hmm" the only reaction. And even from that the blond couldn't tell if it was a good "hmm" or a bad "hmm" or a whatever "hmm".

"Juri, tea would be nice. You are a maid, are you not? Learn some manners when dealing with your master. Is this how you always treat guests?"

Naruto wasn't thinking very well of this Itachi, at the moment. Did he have to be so condescending to Mariko-san? Sure she was a maid, but still. She was nice.

Mariko frowned but bowed none-the-less, muttering as she passed, "My name is _Mariko_. Moron."

Naruto stifled an imprudent giggle while Itachi pretended to not have heard.

"So, you are Sasuke's lover."

Naruto looked at the man again, unsure what expression to wear. Should he smile winningly, showing his charm so that he could impress this obviously impossible to impress man? Or should he be indignant that the man _assumed_ he was Sasuke's lover? But then, he was, so…

What exactly was he supposed to do?

So he just stood there, confusion on his face, deciding the man was likely to think whatever the hell he wanted to think, regardless of what the blond in front of him said. He had met people like that before. The Namikaze's for example…

"I can definitely see why my little brother would be interested in you. But really, to be his lover… That is quite the accomplishment."

Naruto frowned at the man. The more Itachi-san stared at him, the smaller he wished he was, shrinking in on himself hoping he could just disappear from that penetrating gaze.

"How," the blond chanced hesitantly, "how is that an accomplishment?"

The man smirked devilishly, and vaguely Naruto recalled Sasuke's variety of smirks. This man's was more cold, more calculating. Like he knew something you didn't that made him infinitely superior. Sasuke's smirks were more playful, less menacing, and quite the opposite of cold. _It's because his eyes soften_, Naruto realized suddenly. Itachi-san's eyes stayed cold and distant.

"My little brother is very attractive, don't you agree?"

Naruto frowned at the sudden change in topic. Itachi-san had ignored his question. That wasn't very nice. But then, Naruto definitely got the impression this man did what he wanted and everyone else was supposed to be happy to follow along.

"Umm, yeah. I mean, yes, Itachi-san, Sasuke-san is very attractive." Naruto felt weird, admitting that to Sasuke's older brother. But, it was true. He had never in his life seen anyone better looking. Not even models could out-shine Sasuke's looks.

Itachi nodded. "Yes, and as such an attractive young man, one would expect him to have had several lovers by now. My little brother can have anyone he wants at any time." Uchiha Itachi smirked down at the timid looking blond again. "And yet, he has never bothered. All the help I have given him over the years, and nothing. Not once did he find one worthy of pleasuring him."

Naruto suddenly understood something. This man was answering his question, just in a very round-about sort of way.

"Itachi-sama," Mariko interrupted, handing over a glass of blood-red wine. "Perhaps you would rather sit."

"Yes, I think Naruto-kun and I have… _much_ to discuss before my dear little brother returns home. Itachi's dark eyes lowered as he once more carefully studied the blond and his lips moved to smirk once more even as he took a drink of the wine.

Naruto suddenly got the feeling it was going to be a very long afternoon.


	45. Chapter 45

Alright, here's the next chapter. I'm kinda not feeling well, so I won't say much. But I do want to let you all know that I start working on Monday, full time, so please be patient with me if it takes me a while to get back on track, especially since I've already fallen behind a bit. Anways, that's all. Enjoy.

Discalimer: not mine

Warnings: more Itachi-ness

beta'd by -Nightly Halo-. Hope the ending doesn't suck now...

* * *

Naruto had up righted the stool and was once again sitting on it, but instead of facing the bar, he was facing the table, where Itachi had taken a seat, sitting comfortably, as if he were at home and in control of everything. Which he might as well have been with the impression Naruto was getting.

The blond was fidgeting, trying to avoid looking at the man who had been established as being Sasuke's older brother. He didn't know what to do, know what to say. Mariko-san had said play dumb, but how dumb was he supposed to play? This guy was unnerving, the way he sat there eyeing Naruto like he was a bowl of freshly cooked ramen.

Itachi took a sip of blood red wine, calmly, slowly, like he had all the time in the world to just sit there and watch the blond squirm uncomfortably. He knew he didn't actually, he wanted to be gone before his wonderful little brother got home- he wasn't even sure when this apartment had been even established as Sasuke's "home". He didn't want Sasuke to find him there otherwise, well, things wouldn't be as fun.

Or maybe they would? He pondered to himself as he watched the blond bite his lip nervously and shift again on the stool.

Dark eyes fell to the counter beside the strange young man, vaguely noting the presence of a framed picture of- was that a picture of cup ramen?- and then back to the young man.

The blond was a beauty. He could tell that much even when the blond had been comatose. But now, he was a striking beauty. Those eyes of his were rather stunning, such an intense and vibrant shade of blue. No wonder Sasuke had been so smitten. But then, Sasuke was an Uchiha, with high class taste, and Uchiha's deserved the best anyways. It was a given, like dogs barking and fish swimming and lightning striking down idiots. Maybe not so much that last one, but it should be- Itachi had a burning hatred toward idiots, but that was beside the point.

Really, so far as Itachi could tell, the only thing which blemished the otherwise perfect beauty before him were the, rather unusual, three parallel lines on each cheek, like whiskers. Still, even those added a sort of surreal beauty. Itachi had to admit, Sasuke had definitely chosen well. Had he only known Sasuke wanted someone so unique, he wouldn't have bothered with all those normal people he had forced on his darling little brother before.

But oh well. What's done is done. Besides, he's an Uchiha. As such, he is entitled to all of the credit, none of the blame. It was a fact of life.

He placed the glass of wine on the table top before him and once more studied the blond. It was now he noticed how well the boy was dressed, but then, that should be expected as well. But still, something was beginning to bother him, something seemed… unusual about all of this.

Where exactly had these two met? Surely they had met previous the blond being taken to the manor. Certainly they had known each other before and Sasuke had taken the blond home in his time of need due to the prior relationship. And this apartment… Why did it seem like the blond was living here, when of course this apartment was listed as belonging to his dear little brother. Was this all arranged before the blond had been taken to the manor? That must be it.

But still… something didn't seem quite right.

Critical dark eyes held steady on the blond, whose own eyes were busy looking anywhere but at the eldest Uchiha brother.

Perhaps the blond was just staying here for a while? Maybe the relationship was advancing and Sasuke had decided the two should live together. Yes, that must be it. Sasuke had deemed living in the Uchiha Manor with the blond and his elder brother a bit much, so had decided to move elsewhere. Yes, and the blond was now nervous to be meeting his lover's only family now.

But still… Shouldn't they have been introduced before Sasuke and the blond had moved in together? As his only remaining family, didn't Itachi deserve that right? And it almost seemed as though Sasuke was trying to hide the relationship- not that it was working.

Things were… strange, to say the least.

And that maid, how long had she known about the relationship between these two? She definitely knew more than he did, not something to be pleased about.

Mariko wandered over to Itachi and refilled his glass, her eyes occasionally straying to the still nervous, still fidgety blond. She was really starting to feel bad for him.

"Naruto-sama," she began finally, and his bright blue eyes hit on her instantly. "Are you getting hungry? Would you like for me to start dinner now?"

"Oh." He smiled. "Yes, please."

"Naruto-sama, hmm?" Itachi muttered as he took another sip of his wine. "Don't you have a family name(1)?"

"Uh, Uzumaki Naruto(2)," the blond replied hesitantly.

"Uzumaki, hmm?" Itachi mused. "I don't believe I am familiar with that family name. I suppose that means you are not from a high society family."

"Um, no, not really."

Itachi nodded to himself. _So they must have met some where common people gather_…

"What would you like for dinner, Naruto-sama?" Mariko questioned, trying her best to ignore her master.

"Um, anything is fine, Mariko-san." Naruto replied timidly. He was too freaking nervous, all he wanted was for the scary guy to leave or Sasuke to come home. One or the other. He had never considered Sasuke coming home would likely make the situation worse.

She nodded and headed into the kitchen, starting to make dinner and glancing at the clock.

"So, Naruto-kun," and Itachi got a wicked look on his face, "Tell me about yourself."

It wasn't a request. It was most definitely said in a tone of one commanding his minions.

"Um, well… Wh-what do you wanna know?"

Yes, that was a good response. That was the kind of thing he liked to hear. "Tell me about your family."

The surprised look on the blond's face was a bit… confusing, he had to admit. It was shock, followed by a troubled look, and then the blond turned away, deliberately not looking at Itachi.

"I don't have any family." Naruto muttered, and Itachi just barely heard him.

"No family?"

Naruto shook his head, still not looking at Itachi. Instead his blue eyes had fixed themselves behind him, to the bookshelf whose top two rows were filled and the next just begun.

"My father died, recently." Naruto continued, shifting uncomfortably on the stool and looking at the table where Itachi sat, but still not at Itachi himself.

Naruto was very uncomfortable on this topic. He hadn't really liked talking about it with Sasuke, and less so now with Sasuke's brother. But this was his family, and he figured, like meeting the elder Uchiha, him finding out the story was inevitable. So might as well get it over with now, by his own mouth.

"My mother didn't have any family, and she died a long time ago. And my father's family…" Naruto drifted off and bit his lower lip, his eyes now searching the ceiling.

Itachi was truly intrigued. No wonder Sasuke had taken the initiative to move in with the blond. But he could also sense something else going on here, something more…

Naruto refocused his eyes, finally looking at Uchiha Itachi-san. "My father was Namikaze Minato, and I'm sure you must have heard the Namikaze's took everything. I have nothing, except for what Sasuke's given me."

Itachi's eyebrow shot up. That, he had not expected. Sure he had seen plenty of pictures of Namikaze Minato flashing across the TV screen and on newspapers, had heard all about his tragic death and knew pretty much every detail of the Namikaze family's claim on his property. But he hadn't known Namikaze had a son. That… was puzzling indeed.

He carefully placed his glass on the tabletop and stared fixedly at the blond. "Why didn't you inherit anything?"

Naruto looked surprised again, his mouth hanging open a moment.

"You know, Aniki, it really isn't any of your business."

Naruto jumped. It seemed Sasuke had come home.

* * *

(1) Alright, for those of you who don't know, the Japanese say their names the opposite way we do (I think most of you probably know this already), so I wanted to make that clearer in this sentence. Saying something like "Don't you have a last name?" doesn't work, since technically the last name would be a Japanese person's given name. And so, I used "family name" Sorry if this note was more annoying than informative

(2) My beta had issues with this. For those of you who don't remember, Naruto's name is Uzumaki, even though his father was Namikaze. In chapter 22 I explained how he his mother had died giving birth to him, and his father decided to honor her by giving Naruto her family name


	46. Chapter 46

So now for a new chapter to celebrate the end of my first week of work...

Well, I hope you enjoy the chapter! I'm pretty sure it's not exactly along the lines we were all expected, but eh, there's always later. Still, I hope you enjoy it anyways. Look forward to next week!

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: Itachi-ness, plot

beta'd by -Nightly Halo-. And hopefully this has a better ending now too. (Next chapter!)

* * *

Sasuke opened the door to the apartment after a particularly stressful day, thankfully lacking in Itachi-ness, but heaping full of annoying-arrogant-old-men-who-think-they're-smarter-when-they're-just-ignorant, to a sight he had never expected. And hoped he would never see, if that counted for anything now.

If he had put more thought into it, he might have realized something was amiss when Itachi had seemingly vanished from work and he had somehow been roped into leading the meeting of potential business partners who all thought they shouldn't have to indulge some young brat- Uchiha, though he may be. Maybe he should have considered something wrong when he escaped the questions and taunts he had been experiencing lately, and the freedom from torment. But never had he ever considered Itachi might somehow find out about the apartment- and _visit_. Especially not with him not present.

Well, that last part wasn't really so surprising, but the fact Itachi found the place was. He had thought the only one who knew was that realtor, whatever her name was, and he had made it clear she was not to tell anyone on pain of death. Though, now that he thought about it, he wasn't entirely sure she had been listening, if the fluttering of lashes and attempts to get close to him were any indication.

Really, he hated women.

But to see Itachi here, in his apartment, with Naruto sitting at the counter looking sheepish and, damn, so damn _do-able_, was not a good thing. But as he stood there, noting the triumphant look on Itachi's face, and Naruto's slightly hopeful, "please save me now" expression on his face, he also caught sight of Mariko, looking distraught but never-the-less collected, and he felt safe enough to make the assumption she had been able to keep things… _tame_. Maybe.

It was a skill which was invaluable to the younger Uchiha.

Now that that issue was no longer in question, Sasuke felt it safe to turn his attention back to the Source of All That is Evil, aka his dear "Aniki"(1).

"You know, Aniki, it really isn't any of your business." He had come in just in time to hear the questions about Naruto's family, things which did not concern Itachi and never would, if Sasuke had anything to say about it.

"Well, well, if it isn't my dear little brother, home from a long day of work. I thought you wouldn't be back for a while yet."

"Obviously." Sasuke continued to glare. Now it all made sense. Itachi had deliberately left him to deal with the old men, hoping it would last for a considerable amount of time so that he would be free to come and accost Naruto.

He was glad it hadn't worked out to his brother's satisfaction.

Finally he put his briefcase down by the door and pulled off his jacket, hanging it on a hook by the door, and then pulling off his shoes. He walked further into the room and made his way to the blond who was staring at his hands. Gently he pulled Naruto's chin up and kissed him gently, fully aware his brother was watching intently.

He pulled away and gave a small smile. "Tadaima."

Naruto looked up, his eyes bright and happy, relieved Sasuke had come home. He grinned. "Okaeri!"

Itachi was puzzled. Sasuke had never acted like this before. He almost didn't believe this was his little brother, this strange, _feeling_, creature before him. From where he sat he could see that look in his little brother's eyes, that almost _loving_ look.

He turned his attention back to the blond, who had suddenly become more relaxed, whose hands were now on both of Sasuke's arms, holding on to him as he leaned forward on the stool and rested his head on Sasuke's chest, blue eyes sliding closed and a small content smile on his lips. His cheeks were slightly pink, and suddenly he truly was the most beautiful creature Itachi had ever seen.

Things were getting very interesting indeed. And this new bit of information, the son of Namikaze Minato.

"Not my business you say, but as you are my little brother, and he is now your lover, I would say it has become my business."

Naruto looked up at Sasuke. "It's alright, Sasuke. He's gonna find out sooner or later."

"I'd rather it be later." Sasuke muttered, pulling away from Naruto and sitting at the table across from his brother. Naruto stayed at the stool, finally relaxing now that Sasuke was there, leaning back against the counter and letting his legs swing lazily.

"So, who is going to answer my question?" Itachi inquired.

Naruto leaned forward again and started speaking. "There's really not all that much to tell. I don't really know how it happened. All I know is that the Namikaze's claimed my father had no children or something and they got everything. I'm not sure my father had a will or anything, since he was so young, so I dunno. Somehow, they managed it. They left me with nothing."

Itachi pondered that a moment before taking a sip from his wine and calmly pointing out the obvious, to him anyway. "Why didn't you contest it?"

"Contest what?"

"Contest the inheritance. Legally. Hire a lawyer and look into it."

"With what money?" was Naruto's simple answer. "I suppose Kakashi or Jiraiya could have scrounged up the money, but I wouldn't want them putting up the expense for my sake." Naruto sat up and began fiddling with his fingers. "Besides, how do we even know there's anything that will turn up that would prove me as his successor or whatever?" he shrugged.

"I suppose. But then, that's the advantage to being the lover of an Uchiha. If something's there, we'll find it. And we'll foot the bill. Ne, Otouto(2)?"

Sasuke made no reaction.

Naruto, on the other hand, was astonished. "No way. I can't let you do that! I mean, it's my problem. And after everything already…" Naruto looked away and chewed his lower lip, his cheeks tinting.

Itachi looked vaguely amused.

"I've told you already, Naruto. As long as you are my lover, anything and everything you want I'll give you. If you want the money to pay for a lawyer yourself, I'll give you the money." Sasuke paused and studied Naruto's face a moment longer, watching as his blue eyes clouded over as he thought about it. Then he continued. "If you continue to refuse our help, I'll do it anyway."

Naruto looked up in surprise, ready to protest again when Itachi interrupted. "Of course you will. As you said, as lovers, it is your obligation as an Uchiha to take good care of Naruto-kun. That, of course, requires you to put your money to good use. And besides, it's not as though there is any shortage of that."

Sasuke nodded slightly in his brother's direction, concurring without words and without having to acknowledge Itachi any more than necessary. Itachi's ego was large enough already, kami(3) knows how bad it would be if Sasuke lent anything to inflate it.

Naruto still looked hesitant, but didn't say any more. As nice as it would be to get all of his father's things back, everything that was his now, it didn't feel right to bring Sasuke and Itachi-san into it. It really was his problem to deal with, and he still couldn't help but feel there must be another way, without having to resort to hire a lawyer and making the dispute public- because with the Uchiha's involved, and with the publicity of his father's death and the Namikaze's inheritance already, the whole case would most likely go public. He hoped one day he could come to an agreement with his grandfather, that one day the man would understand and accept him. They were family, after all. Both of the same blood, bound by one person they both loved.

So really, how could his grandfather be such a bad person, if he managed to raise someone so good as his father?

At least, that was what Naruto hoped.

* * *

(1) Very respectful/formal way of saying "older brother"

(2) "little brother"

(3) "god"


	47. Chapter 47

Because today is my birthday, we all get to celebrate with an early post of the next chapter! Yay! So this one is finishing up the introductory stuff to the story (strange thinking that, considering it's already chapter 47), and starting next chapter the plot will start advancing. And on that note, I won't be posting a chapter next week, or probably for the next few weeks, actually, since I haven't written anything in a while. Sorry, sorry, but I've been lazy and unmotivated and then there was work- working two jobs is tiring. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to writing soon and get back to my weekly posting, but you'll have to be patient. Sorry. Hopefully if I can get my new laptop soon that will help things along. But in the meantime, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: unless Kishimoto has decided to give it to me for my birthday, me no own

Warnings: S.M.U.T.

beta'd by -NIghtly Halo-. Working sucks! (But I like money)

* * *

All in all, the visit with Itachi went much more smoothly than Sasuke would have predicted if he had been asked on the matter earlier. There were many _looks_ from Itachi, from the moment Sasuke got home to the moment Itachi left, and too many knowing smirks towards Naruto than he would have liked. But on the whole they were civil to each other. Or, rather, Sasuke was civil, and Itachi kept his criticisms and superiority complex to himself. And while they glared at each other over dinner (or, while Sasuke glared and Itachi smirked), Mariko was there to keep Naruto company.

She, at least, wasn't too busy being unsociable to hold a conversation with Naruto, however stinted it was. But at least it helped cut through the uncomfortable situation.

And he was uncomfortable. Too many awkward silences and strange looks from Itachi-san. But the brothers agreed to be more companionable, in other words not kill each other physically or verbally, for the evening, for the blond's sake. They could save the animosity for a later time.

So when Itachi finally walked through the door out into the hallway, and Sasuke happily shut the door behind him, things were just a little more relaxed than they had been. Mariko put away the container of leftovers and grabbed her coat, casting a quick glance at the two men before taking leave herself.

The room was then silent. Peaceful. The anxiety, the _friction_ was gone, and a set of dark eyes met a set of bright blue across the room. Naruto smiled slightly, relieved, and Sasuke visibly relaxed. Dark eyes studied the other subject closely, unwavering, fixing such an intense stare on the blond he began to get fidgety for the second time that evening. But this fidgety was different, and heat crept up his cheeks, suffusing his lightly tanned skin with a reddish haze. He turned his eyes away from the intense, all-encompassing dark eyes and bit his lips, rubbing at his long-sleeve covered arm.

He heard the rustling of clothes and the slight squeak of the leather couch, then the sound of light footsteps over the hardwood floor, slowly, steadily making their way closer to where he sat once more on the bar stool, the same one which had turned the tables and sat on him just a few hours ago.

Naruto turned to the marble surface, leaning into the edge and staring fixedly at the picture of a steaming cup of ramen, trying to pull his mind away from the man he could still hear approaching, trying instead to imagine having that cup of ramen real and placed before him. He tried to imagine grabbing a pair of wooden chopsticks and breaking them apart, licking his lips in anticipation, as he heard those footsteps draw closer, and he really did lick his lips.

He thought of taking those chopsticks and pulling the steaming cup closer to him as the man stopped millimeters from his body, tried to imagine plunging the chopsticks into the heated broth, as he felt the heated skin of a pale hand brush against his cheek. He closed his eyes and pictured bringing up the first bundle of noodles to his lips, parting them to make way for his delicious meal, and they parted to allow in the taste of Sasuke's hot mouth, the man's wet, slick tongue slipping in after meeting no resistance. The taste of ramen in Naruto's mind was suddenly replaced with Sasuke's taste, and he found he actually might like this taste better.

And the ramen was gone, and he was starving for more of this man. Warm arms wrapped around him and he gave in, because shit, this was way better than ramen. Sasuke plundered his mouth, and Naruto savored the taste in his own, savored this new flavor he was quickly becoming addicted to, and when Sasuke pulled him up off the stool, he complied, because that mouth was pulling away, and no, he couldn't allow that. He needed more.

Naruto reached up to pull Sasuke closer, wrapped his arms around the other man's neck and pulled him closer, bodies flush against each other.

And Sasuke, as was his way, took charge once more and forcefully pulled the blond away before grasping a tan wrist tightly and leading the way into the bedroom, Naruto's mind wandering through the clouds trying to find its way back to reality, his eyes half-lidded as he was dragged into the bedroom. But before he could return to reality, His lips were claimed again and he was pushed onto the soft mattress, warm hands trailing down his body. He gulped and took Sasuke's tongue again in his mouth, blue eyes sliding closed again as a hand slipped under the hem of his shirt.

Naruto was hot, burning up. He wanted those clothes off, _now_, and without having to say anything, Sasuke complied with his silent wish- _craving_- and pulled away just enough to pull the sweater up and over that blond head.

And their lips met again, and those heated pale hands were pulling at the blond's tightening pants, deftly undoing them and quickly pulling them, along with the expensive boxers down to expose a naked tan-skinned body. Sasuke pulled away again and licked his lips as his dark eyes studied the delicious sight, and he plunged in again, his mouth meeting the heated skin of Naruto's neck, biting and sucking gently, and Naruto squirmed and panted and moaned pitifully.

Pale hands roamed the tanned body, touching everything they could touch, long pale fingers pinching a hardened nub between the middle and index fingers of Sasuke's right hand as the left traveled further south, spreading the tanned legs to place himself firmly between.

Naruto bit his lip as he felt a finger touch his opening, toying with it, gently nudging it, the tip entering and retreating. He parted his legs more, pushing against that questing finger as Sasuke moved to suck on a hardened pink nipple. The blond moaned again, much more loudly this time, as the finger finally pushed in completely, moving in and around inside of him. Then it pulled back out and he felt Sasuke's weight retreat, heard the sound of a drawer opening, the shifting of the mattress, then the shifting back and the warmth returned. He listened in a fuddle as the sound of rustling clothes reached his ears, felt the bed move slightly, and then moaned again as that finger returned between his legs, now entering more smoothly with the aid of a lubricant, and was then joined by a second long, slim finger.

The blond moaned as those fingers stretched him and he felt Sasuke's lips on his swollen ones again, felt Sasuke's domineering tongue seek entrance once again, and once again the blond granted it. A third finger was added, and he fought to decide which to pay more attention to, which felt better, the tongue plundering his mouth or the finger plundering his body. He spread his legs a little further apart and was rewarded with the stinging pleasure of his prostate being hit and he cried out a stifled moan in ecstasy.

It was quickly replaced with a groan of dismay as the fingers were removed and Sasuke shifted in his position over his blond. Naruto tried to pull away to voice his complaint, but the protest died in his throat and was replaced with a strangled moan as something much bigger and much harder slid slowly passed the tight ring of muscle of his entrance and was pushed deeper inside of him.

Naruto grasped onto the sweaty body above him, his nails digging into pale flesh as his body was spread and conquered, and he groaned at the stretching sensation.

By the time it was all in, Sasuke was panting from the exertion of trying to go slowly. It had been a little while since the last time, and he didn't want to hurt the blond. Naruto, however, was still whimpering, and it wasn't until he felt Naruto trying to thrust him in and out the supposed genius realized Naruto wanted it, was practically begging for it, and not rejecting it. And it was so deliciously tight and hot; he was more than ready to comply.

"Sa-Sasuke, hurry," Naruto whispered in a voice dripping with need, and Sasuke lost all the control he had left. He shut his dark eyes and pulled out before quickly pushing all the way back in. Naruto cried out in pleasure and their lips met.

The rhythm started unsteadily, thrusting in and out, pants and grunts and moans. Then it became a frantic melody, needy and demanding and blindingly pleasurable.

And the clouds burst, the haze cleared and Naruto released, his cry coming out much louder than he would have liked, and he blushed intensely as he realized how wanton he had been during the whole thing. And as Sasuke released inside of him, he shut his blue eyes again and gasped as he was filled by the hot liquid.

A final lingering kiss, and Sasuke pulled out of him and collapsed beside him. A pale hand swept over and pulled the blankets over Naruto's sweaty, naked body, and Naruto turned his head away, his eyes staring out at the window, where he could now see the faintly falling white snow through the half-opened curtains onto the balcony floor.

It was a winter's night in Tokyo, and he drifted off to sleep.


	48. Chapter 48

Yaay, I'm back! I know, it has been a very long time since I last updated this story. But my beta kinda disappeared, and so I decided rather than keep waiting, I'm just gonna post what I have and hope it doesn't suck too badly. On a happy note, I have at least ten chapters ready, so it'll be a little while until I stop posting cuz I run out again, and for the next two or three months I'll be updating weekly (on Fridays) again. The story is really gonna pick up now too, and we'll see some progress being made on Naruto's behalf!

Now I wanna apologize. I actually menat to post this last week, had it all ready and everything, and then... I forgot. Sorry! But here it is, a week late, but better than never!

By the way, since I haven't updated since I found out, I just wanted to let you know, for anyone who's interested, that there is a comic version of Storms. The artist has since stopped, but it's still really great what's there. If anyone is interested in taking a look, just pm me or mention it in a review, and I'll send you the link.

Alright, so without further rambling on the author's part, on to the fun!

**Warnings:** nothing much... maybe a smidgen of angst hidden in the corner

**Disclaimer:** i no own

* * *

He sat at the counter, blue eyes staring out of the large windows into the street beyond, watching as people passed slowly by, each walking leisurely through the snow. It wasn't a lot of snow, just enough to make it pleasantly winter-like. Light flakes drifted down from the cloudy sky, making it a pleasant, beautiful day, a nice introduction to the winter season.

People were bundled up, wearing scarves and gloves, jackets fastened tight around their bodies. It was a nice day to just enjoy the season from a warm spot.

And Naruto was very warm. He sat in the café, sipping a cup of steaming hot cocoa, marshmallows and whipped cream sprinkled with chocolate along the top, like a snowy mountain sprinkled with trees. He was bundled up in very warm, and very fashionable, winter clothes, and he had a fascinating book in his hands. He was about half-way through, and had been happily enjoying the words when the doors had opened and he heard someone comment on the snow falling. He had looked up and hadn't been able to pull his eyes away. It was too beautiful.

"You good on your cup of cocoa, Naruto-san?" The girl on the other side of the counter asked suddenly. Naruto turned his bright blue eyes on her and smiled.

"I still have plenty left. Thanks Temari-san."

She smiled back and turned to help the newly arriving customer, wiping her hands on her green apron before turning to put on the plastic gloves and pull out some fresh cookies.

He had been coming to this café/bookstore nearly every day for the past three weeks, and in that time, he had gotten to know the employees very well. There was Temari-san, his favorite, who was always bragging about her younger brother ("He's really cute, but a little, shall we say… _anti-social_. Oh, but don't tell him I said that, he'll seriously murder me for calling him 'cute'"), but was always fierce when the moment called for it. She could scream at a customer without a second thought if he seemed like an ass. Then there was the tag team duo, Kotetsu-san and Izumo-san, who usually caused more trouble than did work. And to round off the usual group was the stern manager, Ebisu-san. More often than not he could be seen somewhere off to the side of the café, clipboard in hand, pen poised as he eyed everyone suspiciously, occasionally pushing his dark shades up further in front of his overly-critical eyes.

It was a nice atmosphere. Friendly and welcoming. The cakes were delicious. So were the cookies. And the way Temari-san made his chocolate milk, or anything else, was wonderful. He had enjoyed many of his days sitting in the stool by the counter, reading and snacking away, occasionally striking up a conversation with Temari-san when the books got to a slow part, or watching and laughing as Izumo-san and Kotetsu-san got into trouble. It was fun, and he loved the place.

The bookstore had become part of his regular daily routine. He'd wake up in the morning, usually with a minimal amount of clothes on as a result of the previous night- Sasuke was a really horny guy when he had his way,- stretch, and make his way to the bath, soaking for a while until he felt all tension fade away. Not that there was much tension really. Itachi-san had stopped by once or twice, unexpectedly, giving him those weird, intense stares, like he was calculating something likely evil in nature, and if Sasuke was there… well, the tension rose pretty high. But other than that, life for Naruto had become pretty easy.

So when he was rested and content with life after musing in the tub for a while, he'd meander over to the closet, choose something warm and expensive, pull off the tags and slip it on (he had not yet run out of something new to wear, the closet was way too packed with expensive clothes), and then make his way to the living area.

Here Mariko-san would be making breakfast, or she'd have it ready already and was cleaning or gathering up laundry to wash. She'd soon say her good-byes, and Naruto would be left to spend his day as he liked.

His bookshelf had become overrun with books; he'd actually had to force Sasuke to buy a new one, and that one too was starting to disappear behind the books Naruto kept buying.

Some days, Naruto would head off to the bookstore and just grab whatever he felt like and head home, snuggling on the white leather and reading, or turning on the TV to find some good show to watch, or he'd stay for hours in the bookstore, enjoying the book and cookie filled ambiance.

At least once or twice a week, he'd have lunch at Ichiraku's. Old man Ichiraku even started reserving a special seat for him at the counter. He knew what his favorite flavors were, and he'd keep them coming until he recognized the signs of him slowing.

And all in all, it had become a peaceful, relaxing existence. Nothing troubled him, and if something popped up that tried to be, it was quickly shoved down either by burying himself in a book (or books), or mentioning it to Sasuke. And with that, the troubles disappeared, not that they were any sort of major troubles to begin with.

The only thing which really gave him any pause in his new way of life was the old way he had lived, and those people he felt he had left behind. Every day he thought of Kakashi and Jiraiya, wondered what they were doing, if they were still looking for him. Once or twice Tsunade had stopped by the apartment, hugged him until he was nearly suffocated in her large breasts, quizzed him on whether he was being treated well enough, and left. She hadn't brought up either Kakashi or Jiraiya, and he hadn't either.

But he thought about them a lot.

He also spent a lot of time thinking about the family he hadn't known about until his father's death. The family that had betrayed him. He still wasn't quite sure how to deal with that.

He rubbed his hands together and took a sip of his hot cocoa and turned a page in his book. Things were going well for him, now, and he really didn't need to worry about all of that. It was all in a past life now. But still…

He dreamed of his father all of the time, and his father kept giving him that sad look of his, like he had failed Naruto somehow.

Naruto sighed and stared out of the window again. The snow kept drifting peacefully to the earth, the wind blowing the soft flakes to and fro. The way things were right now, he could almost really forget, and move on. He had started a new life, and he was determined, now, not to let the past troubles get to him. Somehow, though, he had a feeling it was the past that wasn't going to let him go.


	49. Chapter 49

Alright, as promised, here's the next chapter. Sorry it's a little late in the day.

Btw, a lot of people requested the comic version of Storms, but it seems like no one actually got the link. I don't know why or if I just did something wrong and it didn't take or something, so I've decided to put up the link on my profile page. For those of you interested in the comic version, check there. Sorry about all the trouble on that.

**Disclaimer:** don't own

**Warnings:** hmm... don't think there are any

* * *

It was another day.

The sun was streaking through the large windows, casting its light into the room, singing in the new morning. Naruto opened his eyes and blinked at the double doors leading to the balcony he hadn't yet spent much time on and yawned. Behind the curtains he could see there was snow again. In the past couple of weeks the snow had fallen over and over again, layering the city in a blanket of white.

It was beautiful.

He snuggled under the blankets and shut his eyes.

This was the best, he thought. Winter was always one of his most favorite seasons. Having snowball fights outside with his father, catching Kakashi off guard while he was reading his porn off to the side. Or strolling down the street with his father, bundled up in a scarf and drinking hot cocoa. Or the days his father would light the fireplace (1) and Naruto would snuggle up on the couch, wrapped in a warm blanket and read a good book. Because they were always "good books" in those days.

He sighed and opened his eyes again, staring at the increasingly familiar ceiling. It was one of those days, where the past haunted him. Where he couldn't help thinking, wondering if Kakashi and Jiraiya were okay, if they were worried about him, if they were still looking for him. He knew they would look for him. He knew they cared about him that much, at least. But whether they were still looking for him, even after… how many weeks? Wasn't it months now?

Naruto turned to his side and stared out the window. The room was warm, so he guessed Mariko-san had made it in and had turned the heater on. He snuggled deeper under the blankets and breathed in the clean scent. Even in the clean smell of the sheets, he could smell Sasuke's scent. Not a strong scent, like he wore too much cologne, but a soothing scent. A comforting scent. Naruto loved it.

He burrowed deeper into the sheets and closed his eyes again.

But then the smell of breakfast made its way into his nostrils, lazily floating in the air, and he nearly jumped out of bed. His stomach rumbled, and he burst into the living room, still dressed in his warm pajamas. He glanced out of the balcony doors and saw the piled up snow, more flakes still falling.

Mariko was standing behind the kitchen counter, gently placing a bowl of yogurt covered fruit and a plate of buttered nut bread lightly toasted (2). She smiled at him and bowed slightly.

"Ohayou, Mariko-san!" Naruto grinned. He plopped himself down on the stool and picked up his chopsticks, digging in to the light breakfast.

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Naruto-sama," Mariko smiled. "Have any plans for today?"

"Hmm, same as always," Naruto replied as he ate. She nodded and untied her apron, putting it away in a drawer. "You have lots to do today?"

"Oh yes. There's still so much to do to prepare for the wedding. And then there's still work at the Uchiha manor. Though admittedly, with Sasuke-sama living here and leaving me to care for both you and him in this capacity, it does leave lots of free time for planning."

"That's good," Naruto replied between bites.

She nodded as she made for the door, then paused suddenly. She turned and watched the blond for a moment as he gobbled up the last of the bread and downed a cup of green tea. "Naruto-sama," she began. He turned to her, blinking at her curiously. "Perhaps, if you're up to it, you can join me one day. I could use another opinion on certain things."

Naruto's blue eyes lit up and he grinned broadly. "I'd love to!" His expression faded, becoming more subdued before turning almost shy. "And maybe, while we're out, you can tell me a little more about Sasuke."

Mariko started, her dark eyes widening a fraction. "About Sasuke-sama?" she repeated.

Naruto nodded and turned back to his second piece of toast. "I've been thinking, recently, that I really don't know anything about him. I mean, I told him my life story practically, but he hasn't told me anything about himself, or even about his family. I feel weird asking him, I get this… stiff, wall-like vibe from him when it comes to personal stuff, so, I thought…" He looked up at her, his eyes darkened but steady, "You've worked for his family a while, right? So maybe you could tell me some stuff. Even just simple stuff. I really don't know anything."

Mariko sighed. "Somehow, it doesn't surprise me Sasuke-sama hasn't told you anything about himself. That is very like him." Her expression changed and she smiled. "I'd be glad to tell you anything you'd like to know. I have worked for the Uchiha's a very long time, and I probably know Sasuke-sama more than even he realizes. I'll tell you all the juicy details." She winked at him slyly and turned back toward the door.

Naruto beamed at her as she left, and turned back to the counter, deciding what he would do next. He had the whole day to do whatever he wanted, and there was, as always, so much he could do. He thought it over a while, relaxing on the stool, leaning forward on the counter-top, his eyes wandering as he thought about all of his options.

Finally, he made his decision and got up, making his way into the bedroom, stripping from his pajamas as he went, until he was in his closet, and he began pulling clothes from the hangers. He dressed quickly and headed back out to the living room, quickly grabbing his jacket and scarf, and slipping on his shoes by the door, he headed out.

The snow was heavy outside, and the wind blew hard, but the sky was clear and the scenery was beautiful. He kept his hands in his pockets as he made his way to the bookstore, going through his mental book inventory to decide what he could buy today. Snow still drifted down, landing in his golden locks, one landing on his now red nose, but he walked on, content.

The bookstore soon came into view and he made a beeline toward it, looking back briefly to smile at the footprints he had made in the snow. He stepped up to the doors and they opened before him, the warmth of the inside rushing out to greet him. He took two steps forward and stomped his feet on the grating just inside, the snow encrusting coming off his shoes to melt by the door. He took a deep breath, smelling the delicious smells of the bookstore, and moved further in, heading toward the staircase to browse the books up there.

He wandered the second floor for a good while, until at last his stomach began to pine for some nice, hot ramen, and he headed downstairs with one book he was certain he needed to add to his collection and which he could take with him to Ichiraku. Today was a leisure day, so he slowly made his way to the stairs and headed down to the café, where the registers were. He spotted Temari-san there, looking irritated while some customer appeared to flirt with her.

Naruto smiled lightly and looked at the old man, pitying the poor old man for what Temari-san would undoubtedly do to him.

Then he stopped cold. His eyes widened involuntarily and he focused more intently on the old man leaning over the counter, trying to reach over and touch Temari-san's hand. The man had long, white hair which drifted lazily down his back. He wore bright red clothing, and as the blond's eyes drifted downward, he noted the man wore geta.

It could be no one else. Jiraiya was sitting at the counter, flirting with Temari-san.

* * *

(1) In my experience, I'm not so sure Japanese homes feature fireplaces, definitely not the average ones, anyway. However, considering Naruto's father was a well-known, well off author, I've figured his house was more European style. As such, I have taken the liberty of giving them one, as I've always heard, you can get anything in Japan, if you have the money.

(2) This is the kind of breakfast my host mother in Japan used to prepare for me. Home-made bread with nuts and raisins, super yum


	50. Chapter 50

Alright, here we go, the next chapter, as promised! (And OMG, it's chapter 50!)

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: eh...

* * *

Jiraiya was sitting there, staring with leering eyes at the feisty blond woman, flirting unashamedly with the increasingly angry Temari-san.

Flirting.

…Which, really, shouldn't be surprising. What was surprising was that Jiraiya was _there_. Not ten feet away, after weeks- months of being apart.

Slowly, he took a step forward, and then another, until he was just a couple of feet away. He could almost smell the almost constant scent of sake that always lingered on the old man from his many hours spent indulging on the hot, alcoholic liquid. It was nostalgic, recalling that scent, and the light scent of ink that used to linger in his father's home.

Naruto bit his lip and took a deep breath in, his eyes closing for a moment before he regained his bearings and turned his attention back to the scene before him.

Temari-san looked like she was about to strangle the old man. Her face was scrunched up in the trademark look of irritation as Jiraiya spouted corny lines about her beauty. Finally she slammed her hand on the counter and nearly growled at him.

"I swear, you don't stop and I'll rip it off and feed it to my neighbors' fluffy-sweatered dogs."

"Does that mean I get to go home with you?" was Jiraiya's quick response.

Temari-san was obviously about ready to jump the counter and carry out her threat as he watched on. Naruto nearly wanted to laugh, but he held it in as best he could. "Geez, you never change, old man," he said, the smile still on his face. Temari stopped looking murderous and finally noticed the blond.

"Naruto-san! Didn't see you there, kid."

Naruto smiled at her and nodded briefly, his bright blue eyes never leaving the white-haired man who had suddenly turned stiff and frozen on the stool. Slowly, the man turned, his eyes wide as he took in the sight of the young blond before him.

"Na-Naruto?" he finally managed to stutter out.

"Hey, Ero-Sennin," he replied, waving cheerfully.

The man's face looked flaming red, and he appeared as though he were seeing a ghost and having a stroke as a result. To spare the man Naruto moved toward him, sitting down on the stool next to him. "Temari-san, could I get my regular?"

"Sure, Naruto-san," Temari replied, casting the old man a last threatening look before turning to make Naruto's order.

The two men sat in silence as Temari fixed Naruto's cocoa, adding the whipped cream and the chocolate sprinkles, finally placing it in front of the blond. Naruto handed her the book and she added it to his bill, and quietly he pulled the cash from his pocket and paid, Jiraiya's eyes following the movements carefully.

Seeming to sense the atmosphere, Temari took the cash and gave back his change before heading off to tend to the other customers. Jiraiya continued to watch the young blond boy as he tasted the cocoa, mixing the whipped cream and the sprinkles into the chocolaty mix. He ran his fingers over the kanji on the book's cover, and then chanced to glance at Jiraiya. The man was still staring at him, his brow creased, as if he was trying to decide if he was having some drunken, delirious vision.

So Naruto decided to spare him and spoke. "It's good to see you, Ero-Sennin. I've been meaning to call you up, let you know I was okay."

"Damn brat, stop calling me that in public," Jiraiya mumbled. Naruto smiled, and Jiraiya seemed to come back into himself, turning to more fully face Naruto.

"What the hell, Naruto! Where the hell have you been? What the hell is with the clothes and the money? Where did you disappear to for so long? Why did you leave like that! Dammit!" He ran his hand though his long white hair and took a deep breath. "Kakashi and I have been looking everywhere for you."

Naruto turned away and took a sip of his cocoa. "Yeah. I heard."

"You heard?"

"I saw Tsunade. She told me."

"Tsunade? You saw her? When?"

Naruto shrugged. "A month ago?"

Jiraiya nearly fell out of his chair. "That old hag, I can't believe she didn't say anything. I've seen her, what, five times in the past month…"

"I asked her not to say anything. I promised I'd contact you and Kakashi when I was ready."

"Damn brat. So what, were you ever planning on letting us know you were okay?"

"I was. Eventually." Naruto glanced back at Jiraiya before he took another sip of his drink. Jiraiya sat in silence a moment, watching Naruto intently.

"We've been worried," Jiraiya spoke.

"Yeah. Sorry about that," Naruto replied, pushing his glass away.

"Why did you leave like that?"

Naruto fingered the cover of his new book, and his stomach growled. Jiraiya frowned. "Hungry? I thought I saw a ramen shop nearby. My treat?"

Naruto grinned and stood up, ready to go. Jiraiya followed him out the door and into the snow. The wind was blowing harder than before and Naruto rubbed his hands together as he held his book in the crook of his arm. "This way!" he called back to Jiraiya as he hurried to Ichiraku's.

The door of the shop opened before them and the blond rushed in, immediately taking a seat at his regular stool at the counter. Jiraiya slowly followed after, suddenly remembering the appetite for ramen Naruto had, and wondering if he had enough cash to back up that rash offer. He sat beside the blond just as old man Ichiraku placed a steaming bowl before Naruto, and vaguely Jiraiya wondered if Naruto had even ordered anything yet. And watching the way the owner chatted with Naruto, it seemed as though he had seen Naruto often.

Then he remembered how familiar the hot girl in the bookstore was with Naruto, and he realized, Naruto must have been living in the area for a while now. His questions arose again.

"Naruto, where have you been all this time? What have you been doing?"

Naruto's mouth was stuffed with ramen, and those blue eyes just wandered over to look at Jiraiya, irritation shining. Naruto hated being interrupted in the middle of his delicious ramen.

"Damnit, brat. This is important."

Naruto swallowed and frowned at the older man. "Can you at least let me enjoy one bowl at least? You can interrupt after. I'm starving!"

Before Jiraiya could say anymore, another chopstick-full was shoved in the blond's mouth, slurping and chewing away. He sighed and ordered a bowl for himself, cautiously watching the blond beside him.

They ate in relative silence, the young blond ordering bowl after bowl of ramen and slurping each down with no trouble at all. Jiraiya ate much more slowly, his gaze never wavering too far from Naruto. Finally Naruto's pace slowed and he put down the last bowl.

"I suppose," the blond began, "you have a whole lot of questions to ask me."

"That I do," Jiraiya grunted.

Naruto sat back and stretched, making the older man wait again. "Alright. I guess I'll indulge you," Naruto grinned.

"Finally, brat."

"Yeah. So go ahead and pay, and we'll head over to my place."

Jiraiya looked once again startled. "Your place?"

Naruto smiled, wrapped his scarf more tightly around his neck and headed to the door, letting himself out back into the cold.

The snow had stopped falling, but the wind still blew in bursts of chilly air. The sun was beginning to come out from behind the clouds and the sky looked more clear and blue. He watched for a moment, at peace for the time being, before he heard the door open behind him and the heavy steps of Jiraiya stop behind him.

Naruto almost felt sad. It seemed his fun was over. Soon, the trauma of his family would begin all over again. He might even have to leave Sasuke. He gazed up the road, in the direction of the apartment, before he took a deep breath and put on his best smile.

"This way," he said, and then he headed off down the street, Jiraiya's steps crunchy in the snow behind him, following dutifully, maybe cautiously, watching to make sure the blond didn't disappear again.

Naruto turned into the walkway into Konoha Villa, headed up to the entrance and into the building. All along the way he was conscious of Jiraiya behind him, taking in the elegant scenery, waiting to question Naruto about what it all meant.

Finally they were standing in front of the door to the apartment and Naruto unlocked the door, stepping inside and making room for Jiraiya to enter as well.

"What the-" Jiraiya began as soon as he saw the apartment before him. Expensive, way more than anything Naruto could have afforded even with his father's best-selling books. Clean and elegant, and Naruto, standing in the middle of the room looking nervous, didn't look out of place. Jiraiya frowned.

"Now will you explain?"

Naruto bit his lip and indicated to the sofa. "Maybe you should sit. It's kinda a long story, you know?"

Jiraiya nodded slowly and made his way to the couch, carefully eyeing the room, especially taking note of the framed picture of a cup of ramen sitting on the bar tabletop. That definitely screamed of Naruto, but the rest was… unnerving.

"So?" the older man questioned once more when he had made himself comfortable. Naruto was fidgeting where he stood, wondering where to begin. Jiraiya sat watching him, not wanting to push, but desperate for answers. Finally Naruto spoke.

"Well, things didn't turn out the way I expected."

One of Jiraiya's eyebrows rose in surprise. Naruto scratched nervously at his nose and moved to sit beside the older man, ready to go into the story, beginning with his trip to see the Namikaze's, then about him leaving, and eventually going into how he met Sasuke and waking up in the apartment. He left out the part about his cousin finding him in the street or the missing necklace.

Jiraiya listened carefully throughout the entire story, not moving or making much of any indication of understanding, just sitting and taking it all in. He didn't betray how intrigued he was about Naruto's current situation, either. He just listened and waited for Naruto to finish.

When the blond finally took a deep breath and stayed silent, Jiraiya perceived the story to be over, and sat in silence a moment longer as well.

"It seems, brat, that you've been through quite a bit, eh?" he muttered at last, rubbing his chin thoughtfully at he continued to gaze at Naruto curiously.

Naruto didn't look at him, his blue eyes focused on the hardwood floor.

"But geez, brat. I never woulda guessed you'd be into guys."

Naruto froze, then his expression changed and he glared at the older man. "After all that, everything I just told you, and the only part that matters is that I slept with a guy? Damnit, Ero-Sennin!"

"What?" Jiraiya sat back on the couch, relaxing in the warm room. "It's true. And you must like it. You agreed, and you're still here." Jiraiya eyed him suggestively and Naruto promptly turned red.

"Whatever. The point it, here I am, I'm fine, now go away."

"Now why should I have to leave? You got a spare bedroom, right? Maybe I should stay the night. I at least gotta meet this guy of yours right?"

"No!" Naruto sat up quickly. "No way. There is no way you're meeting Sasuke. Who knows what kind of ideas you'll give him. His brother's bad enough, though thankfully he doesn't listen to him much."

Jiraiya looked even more intrigued.

"Alright, brat. I'll indulge you this time. But you know, I gotta tell Kakashi. And you gotta give me your phone number, so we can get in touch with you." Jiraiya stood up and stretched. "And you know Kakashi is gonna wanna come see you."

Naruto sighed. "Yeah. I guess that'll be okay." The blond looked up at the old man and smiled faintly. "It is really good to see you though, Ero-Sennin."

"Stop calling me that, damn brat," Jiraiya muttered. Naruto's smile widened and he stood as well, pulling out his phone from his back pocket.

"Alright! So I'll give you my number…" Naruto paused, his face scrunching in confusion. "What is my phone number, I wonder…"

"What the-. You don't even know that, damn brat? Are you an idiot?"

"No," Naruto squeaked indignantly. "I just haven't had to tell anyone my phone number yet. So, let's see…" He began pushing buttons on his phone, searching for the number, at last finally finding it and telling Jiraiya.

"That's a nice phone. Your sugar daddy give that to you, too?"

Naruto went red. "Don't call him that! Gah, geez. Everything has to be dirty with you."

"Heh. Hate to tell you, but you're the one sleeping with the guy for money."

Naruto looked away, shoving his phone back in his pocket. "It's not for money."

Jiraiya looked surprised. "It's not?"

"Anyways, you should probably leave now. I guess I'll be seeing you soon. But call first! I won't let you in if you don't."

"Hmph. Whatever brat." And Jiraiya made his way to the door, slipping his geta back on at the doorway and stepping out into the hall. He gave a quick last-minute wave to the blond from the elevator before disappearing inside, the door sliding shut behind him.


	51. Chapter 51

OMG it's finally working again. I'm so sorry this chapter is so late. I had to leave early Friday morning and didn't get back until late that evening, and then when I tried to update, I kept getting error messages every time, no matter when or how many times I tried to post up until yesterday. Aggravating... But it's finally working, it looks like (thank God), so here we are, and tomorrow I'll post again like regular (so long as it's still working).

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: perverted!smexy!Sasuke

* * *

When Sasuke got home, Naruto was sitting at the table, fervently scrubbing at a spot on the wood with a rag, muttering to it about stubborn old men and stubborn, selfish stains.

He watched curiously for a moment, carefully slipping off his shoes at the door, dark eyes never leaving the muttering blond, waiting to be noticed.

But Naruto was determined, and it seemed nothing was going to get his attention away from whatever invisible stain he seemed to have spotted. So loosening his tie and stepping further into the room, he made his way quietly to the blond, coming up behind him and slipping an arm around his waist, pulling Naruto close against his chest.

"Dobe. You haven't greeted me. Tadaima," he muttered in Naruto's ear, leaning close against him.

Naruto froze and dropped the rag he had been using, his face heating up and his body automatically reacting to the man behind him and that sultry voice whispering in his sensitive ear. He was really getting very used to all of this, and his body seemed to automatically react to the other man now, every day more and more so. His blue eyes drifted to the man standing behind him, and he gulped.

Wetting his lips in anticipation, he managed to stutter a reply. "O-Okaeri, Sasuke."

"What's with you today?" Sasuke asked absently as he moved his hands lower down, pulling the blond flush against him, his hands slipping under the cotton shirt and skittering over soft, tan skin. He kissed Naruto's neck gently, licking at his earlobe. Naruto moaned gently.

"I-mn," Naruto murmured, his body being uncooperative with him and instead melting in Sasuke's arms, doing Sasuke's bidding. Slowly, tauntingly, Sasuke's hands traveled down Naruto's body, his lips sucking on Naruto's neck. Naruto pressed harder against Sasuke's chest, trying to get closer to him as he moved his head to the side, exposing the tan flesh more to Sasuke's lips.

Naruto found himself being pushed into the table he had just been trying to clean, and the slight pain was enough to bring him back to his senses. His face red with embarrassment- he was really becoming way too wanton- he shoved the other man back and away from him, rubbing his lips irritably and panting slightly.

"Alright, that's enough of that," Naruto muttered, picking the rag back up and ignoring the lustful jerk.

"Enough? Did I say it was enough?" Sasuke replied silkily, making his way closer to the blond again. Naruto stopped him with a hand flat on his chest.

"Later, pervert."

Sasuke frowned, stopped in his tracks. "Really, what's with you today?"

Naruto paused in his resumed scrubbing of the table and glanced furtively back at his dark-haired lover."Well," Naruto began nervously, a slight frown on his face, his eyes darting away from the taller man, licking his lips as he took another step away from Sasuke and even closer to the table. "I ran into someone while I was out today. Someone I know very well."

A dark brow rose and Sasuke took a step closer. "Oh?" His dark eyes scanned the blond, who still wasn't looking at him, causing his curiosity to peak.

Naruto took another nervous step away, running into the table again, eyes darting up and noting that dark, lustful look still lingering in Sasuke's eyes. He had been seeing that look a lot recently, nearly every night, actually, and he knew very well what it meant. Sasuke obviously hadn't gotten the message, seemed intent to ignore it actually, obviously set as always to get his way. He gulped and darted around the table, putting the hard wood surface between them. Sasuke frowned at him irritably.

Naruto nodded. "Jiraiya."

Sasuke stopped and frowned. "Isn't that…?"

Naruto smiled. "Un, he's the old pervert who taught my dad in college."

Sasuke watched Naruto carefully for a moment. "So what happened?"

Naruto relaxed and turned away, a small smile coming to his face as he faced the TV, hands clasped around the rag behind his back.

"Nothing much really. He, uh," and Naruto frowned as he recalled the events of earlier, and continued, "he came over, for a little bit. He wants to meet you," he grumbled.

"Oh?" Sasuke walked around the couch, passing by the blond nonchalantly on his way to the bedroom, pulling at the buttons of his dress shirt. "I suppose I wouldn't be averse to meeting him. But..." He paused at the doorway and turned back to Naruto, his shirt now open and exposing his pale, sculpted chest, Naruto's traitorous eyes drifting down and admiring the stunningly sexy vision before him. The dark-haired man eyed the blond from the distance and he continued, "He better not think I'm letting you get away from me. You're mine now." And he smirked his best lascivious smirk and vanished into the bedroom.

Naruto sighed. He had kinda hoped Sasuke wouldn't want to meet Jiraiya, at least not just yet. Because he sure as hell wasn't ready for them to meet. He could only imagine what it would be like. Plus, Jiraiya intended to bring Kakashi, which meant two master perverts with the aspiring pervert. Not a good situation.

But what worried him most was Jiraiya's and Kakashi's reaction to Sasuke. He wanted them to like him, to accept him. Things were weird, and with Jiraiya knowing he was sleeping with the Uchiha male and was pretty much at his mercy wasn't a good way to start off.

The blond glanced back at the table and went back to his furious scrubbing. Sure, the table was perfectly clean, he and Sasuke hardly used it, they usually ate their meals at the kitchen's bar, but he figured if they were coming, it had to be perfect- _impeccable._

Because they could ruin everything.

And he was perfectly aware, knew completely that if Jiraiya and Kakashi became somehow convinced he wasn't safe and happy here, they would take him away. And suddenly, being torn from Sasuke was the scariest thing he could think of. The older man had given him so much, and all he wanted was Naruto. He _wanted _Naruto.

He had done so much for him, and expected nothing back from Naruto, because sleeping with the Uchiha wasn't hard. Rather, it was something he liked more and more.

Oh God, he was becoming just as much of a pervert as Jiraiya and Kakashi…

He groaned and dropped the rag, stepping over to the couch and collapsing on the soft leather. He let his blond head rest on the top of the couch, his blue eyes sliding shut. He supposed there was no way to avoid it all. Not just Jiraiya and Kakashi's impending visit, but turning into a pervert himself. After all, with Sasuke around...

Naruto shuddered. All those years of being under the tutelage of Jiraiya the Super Pervert and Kakashi the Super Pervert's Loyal Follower, he had always managed to keep himself pure and free of their evil exploits of Horniness. Maybe it was in part due to his father, but, still. Even when he had started dating Tomoko, they had never gone very far because he could just imagine his father's disappointed face. Somehow he knew his father always thought of him as pure and innocent, and he couldn't bear to take that perfect image from him.

That and, come to think of it, he really just hadn't been that interested in her. If he really had been, he might have just gone ahead anyway. But the temptation had never been there. Not like with Sasuke...

With Sasuke, the temptation was not only there, it was irresistible.

He sighed and stared at the ceiling. He really was becoming a pervert.


	52. Chapter 52

As promised, here's the next, regular update. And it's a little longer than usual, too.

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: SMUTy goodness

* * *

Sasuke reentered the room to the sight of Naruto on the couch, neck exposed as his blue eyes stared unblinking at the ceiling. It was a far too tempting sight, and he made his way over there, bare feet treading silently on the cold, hardwood floor.

He reached the blond and leaned over, placing his lips on the soft tan skin, sucking gently. Naruto squirmed, his hands grasping onto Sasuke's shoulders, pulling him down on him.

He loved it when Naruto did that. So in appreciation, Sasuke lifted the blond and carried him to the bedroom.

Naruto squeaked when he felt the man lifting him, and he wrapped his arms around his neck tightly as Sasuke bent his neck and latched his lips onto Naruto's.

Soon Naruto was placed carefully on the bed, the soft mattress caressing his back as Sasuke positioned himself over the blond. He reached over quickly to pull out a tube of lubricant from their stash, popping it open. Their lips met in a passionate kiss, Sasuke's tongue slipping past Naruto's soft lips and into his hot mouth, tongues meeting and dancing enticingly together.

Naruto moaned, pushing his body upward against Sasuke, pressing flat against him as he wrapped his legs round the other man's waist as best as he could. Sasuke pushed back, pinning the blond back against the mattress.

Sasuke's hands wandered down, lower and lower, coming up under the hem of the blond's sweater, pulling it up and over his head, exposing smooth, tan skin to the chill of the room. Next came the pants; long, pale fingers tugged under the hem, under the waistband of his boxers, feeling the smooth, sensitive skin underneath. Deftly, those long fingers undid the button and zipper of the pants, and in one quick movement pulled them all down, Naruto assisting as the pants were removed and tossed somewhere into the room.

Naruto could feel his insides bubbling as Sasuke touched him all over his body, lips still sealed together. He spread his legs, more eager than he could have imagined, as those fingers turned to probe his waiting entrance, now slightly coated in the lubricant, moving in scissoring motions inside of him, stretching him.

Naruto moaned again into the kiss as Sasuke's fingers encountered his weak spot inside of him, pushing against it. The blond couldn't keep his voice down, it was impossible.

Then those fingers pulled out and fumbled with Sasuke's own pants, pulling them down in a hurry, freeing his aching erection. He positioned himself quickly between Naruto's legs, and in one swift movement plunged inside.

Naruto held back a scream of pleasure, just barely, and grit his teeth as Sasuke slammed ruthlessly into him. He couldn't hold back the moans anymore, and each time Sasuke hit his target Naruto rewarded him with a sexy mewl. Sasuke captured his lips again as he continued to thrust inside, their bodies moving together in a very well practiced rhythm, their bodies hot and sweating lightly, chilly against the cold of the room.

His body tightening, Naruto wrapped his legs again around Sasuke's waist, pulling him closer until that coil in his belly couldn't tighten any further and burst. Sasuke thrust again and again, Naruto's walls tightening around his swollen member, and he felt himself release as well, hot liquid spilling inside of Naruto.

Their lips still together, they finally pulled away, Sasuke trailing his mouth down Naruto's chin to his neck, kissing his pert nipples gently, before finally collapsing beside the blond, a very satisfied smirk on his face.

As they lay in bed, content, Naruto turned bright blue eyes to the dark-haired man. It was silent save for their sill labored breathing, and Naruto smiled slightly, before his expression changed again, more focused. Sasuke caught the intense look and turned fully to the other man, waiting. "I hope they won't come any time soon," Naruto murmured. "Jiraiya said he'd call me."

Sasuke nodded but didn't say anything.

Naruto sighed and looked up at the ceiling, chewing on his lip. "I really hope they don't come yet. 'M not ready."

Sasuke took the blond's hand under the covers and pulled him closer, holding him in his arms as the blond drifted off to sleep.

* * *

They were woken by the sound of a phone ringing.

Naruto grumbled into the pillow, then turned and mashed his face into Sasuke's neck. "Sasuke," he whined, "answer the stupid phone already."

Sasuke frowned. "That isn't my phone," he replied, still a bit groggy with sleep.

"Whose phone would it be?" Naruto grumbled, wrapping his arms around Sasuke's neck and snuggling closer. The ringing stopped. Sasuke wrapped his arm around the blond and let his eyes drift closed again.

The phone started ringing again.

Sasuke sat up slightly, taking the blond with him, who started grumbling in protest again. Sasuke's frown intensified.

"Dobe, I think that might be your phone."

"I don't have a phone," Naruto mumbled, trying to fall back to sleep.

"Idiot. I gave you a phone, remember?"

Naruto yawned. "No one has my number."

The phone stopped ringing. "Where did you leave your phone?" Sasuke asked. Naruto shrugged and dragged the other man back down to the bed, snuggling with him under the warm blankets. Sasuke sighed and let his eyes slip shut.

The ringing started up again.

Naruto groaned loudly. "Shut up, stupid phone. Tryin' ta sleep!"

Sasuke rubbed at the bridge of his nose, groggily trying to think. "Didn't you give the phone number to that pervert guy you ran into earlier today?"

Naruto mumbled in annoyance. "You mean Jiraiya. I guess."

The ringing stopped. Silence filled the room.

"Ah, crap! Jiraiya!" Naruto screeched, jumping up frantically on the mattress, jumping up and started searching for his clothes, trying to find his phone.

He found it in his jeans pocket, which had landed by the bathroom door. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen. Three missed calls.

Naruto sighed and pressed call, his nervousness acting up again as he hoped Jiraiya wouldn't answer.

But of course, he did.

"Brat? That you?"

"Ah, uh, yeah. Hey Ero-Sennin."

"Brat, don't call me that," Jiraiya mumbled. Sasuke stared irritably at the phone from his place sitting up in bed.

The name "Ero-Sennin" did not bode well.

"Um, so, you called me?" Naruto replied, scratching at his nose. He glanced back at Sasuke who was watching him intently, lips curled up in a smirk as his dark eyes wandered...

Naruto glanced down. He was still naked.

_Crap!_ he thought frantically, his face going red. He searched for something to cover himself with, holding the phone a little away from his face as he looked, sensing the growing smirk from his dark-haired lover as he watched, enjoying the scene.

"Oi, brat, you listening?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, what did you say Ero-Sennin?" Naruto muttered, grabbing a hold of a pair of boxers and trying to get them on.

He heard Jiraiya grumbling about idiot blonds before he repeated himself. "I told Kakashi I had found you- doesn't believe me, ungrateful little..."

Naruto muttered, not really listening as he struggled to pull on pants. Sasuke was very much enjoying the show. He did enjoy admiring the blond's beautiful naked body.

"So tonight, we'll be over for dinner. If we're gonna meet this guy of yours, he should be there, huh?"

Naruto dropped the phone, staring at it with wide eyes.

"Oi, dobe, what's wrong?" Sasuke called from the bed.

The blond glanced up at his lover, his mouth hanging open and grabbed for the phone, frantic. "What do you mean tonight? You can't come over tonight! That's too soon!"

"What's wrong with soon? Kakashi wants to see you, and we have every right to meet this guy of yours," Jiraiya stated.

"No, no, no, no, no! You can't! Not yet! I'm not ready!"

"Not ready, come on brat. Don't be dumb. Anyways, we'll be there at seven-thirty. Be ready, heh?" Naruto could hear Jiraiya's smirk. The line went dead.

Naruto dropped the phone to the floor, staring at it for a moment as he stood there, one leg in his pants, the other still pantless. He glanced up at Sasuke, who had one elegant brow raised in curiosity.

His blond swallowed and spoke. "They're coming tonight."


	53. Chapter 53

Alright, here we go, the fun begins! The chapter you all have been waiting for! I can only hope that it lives up to everyone's expectations. I messed with it a lot, but I'm still not quite sure it's good enough...

Disclaimer: own I do not

Warning: hmm... Hard to say... There are a couple of perverts in this chapter...

* * *

Naruto was fidgeting.

He sat cross-legged on the couch, flipping through channels, his foot tapping the side of the couch restlessly. His eyes continuously glanced toward the doorway, occasionally darting toward the balcony window, watching the light snow-fall in the darkness.

Sasuke sat at a chair by the balcony door, one leg crossed over the other as he read silently from a book, another he had pulled from the ever-expanding bookshelf the blond was always adding to. He perused it lightly, half reading the pages, half consumed in watching the fidgeting blond. He could remember the last time the blond had been so nervous, and he wondered if this was really that big of a deal. Sure, his old family acquaintances were coming over, but were they really _that_ important to the blond? He had run away from them, after all. Hadn't bothered getting in touch with them during all this time.

Naruto nearly jumped off of the couch when he heard a knock, then realized it was the TV. He took a deep breath and flipped the channel again.

He had finally picked a show and was watching intently, something about ninjas, when the doorbell rang clearly through the apartment and the blond jumped, nearly falling off the couch.

Sasuke was the one who stood up. Casually, languidly, he stood from his chair by the balcony doors, set his book carefully where he had been sitting, and made his way over to the door. Naruto sat frozen still on the couch, his blue eyes wide and intent on the screen. But Sasuke could tell Naruto didn't have a clue what was happening on the TV.

He crossed the room quickly and quietly, soon reaching the door. There was a knock, as if the person on the other side was getting impatient. Sasuke frowned but said nothing. Instead, he cast one quick glance back, noting that Naruto was now watching him, big eyes looking almost afraid. Sasuke's lips turned up briefly, and those blue eyes softened.

Then he grabbed the handle and opened the door.

What stood before him he hadn't been expecting. The first man to catch his attention was a big guy, dressed in bright red, his hair white and with weird red markings on his face. The man was looking at him suspiciously, studying him. Sasuke stared back for a moment unaffectedly.

The other man hadn't looked up from the green book in his hand. Focusing in on him, he noted the dark clothes, the grayed hair, and then the strange giggle as the man continued to read. Sasuke glanced at the book's title, noted _Icha Icha_, and promptly glared.

He had been subjected to those books more than he would have liked to admit. During his brother's... _schemes_, forcing those books on him was one of the ways he had hoped to "fix" his little brother.

"Well, well, well," the older, white haired man spoke. "You must be him. _Uchiha_."

Sasuke raised a brow. "I am." He moved aside and allowed the men to enter the apartment.

"Jiraiya, proud novelist and Traveler of the Erotic Arts," Jiraiya announced, giving an elegant bow.

Sasuke scowled. What the hell was that all about? He was proud of that? But then, Naruto had called the man "Ero-Sennin"...

"Kakashi," the other man murmured, then giggled again, his eyes never leaving the book his face was still buried in.

"Kakashi! Put the book down!" Naruto scolded. Sasuke glanced over his shoulder and found the blond had finally gotten off of the couch and was approaching the three other men. The blond was pouting, his arms crossed in front of him. He looked like he was scolding a petulant child.

The book promptly fell to the ground, now ignored, as Kakashi looked up at the blond.

"Heh, told you I had really found him," Jiraiya muttered proudly.

"Naruto?" Kakashi murmured. He took a step forward, his eyes scanning all over the blond's body, checking to see if he was real. Now Sasuke could see the man wore a mask which covered half of his face, his silver bangs hanging carelessly over one eye.

"Hey, Kakashi," Naruto mumbled, rubbing the back of his head nervously as his cheeks reddened.

And then Kakashi was suddenly enveloping the blond in a hug, squeezing the air out of his slim frame.

"Damnit, can't breathe!" Naruto squeaked in protest, his arms flailing at the sides. Jiraiya burst out into a hearty laughter, and Sasuke just watched, amused, from the sidelines.

So these two were what was left of Naruto's family.

Jiraiya looked very pleased with himself as he laughed, standing proud with his arms crossed over his chest while Kakashi was nearly dancing with glee around the blond. Naruto scratched at his nose nervously, his blue eyes glancing over at where Sasuke still stood by the door.

"Naruto, where have you been," Kakashi scolded, smacking Naruto lightly on the head.

Sasuke watched as Naruto's expression softened, as he looked at Kakashi a little guiltily, but with a smile. It was written all over his face, he was happy to see the older man. Sasuke had to stifle a surge of jealousy.

He made his way further into the room, intent on heading back to the book. They had come to meet him, sure, but more than that, these two were here for Naruto. He clenched his teeth and kept walking, eyes never leaving the goal. He was stopped by Naruto.

The blond had seen him approaching and his grin had grown. He headed over to his lover and grabbed his hand, pulling him behind him to Kakashi and Jiraiya, who were both eyeing the other man wearily.

Naruto took a deep breath, glancing nervously between Kakashi and Jiraiya and his brooding lover. "Kakashi, Jiraiya, this is Sasuke. Sasuke," Naruto looked up into dark eyes fixed on his face and smiled brightly, "this is Kakashi and Jiraiya."

Sasuke nodded at them, adapting his most formal attitude, the one drilled into him by his mother at a very early stage. He bowed slightly, inclining his head just enough to show deference to his elders, but not enough to indicate they were above him (because they weren't, socially). "It's an honor to meet you. I am Uchiha Sasuke. I took Naruto in when I found him."

Kakashi frowned and Jiraiya studied him carefully.

"Naruto told me about you, Uchiha. Hmm," Jiraiya replied.

Sasuke wasn't sure that was a good reaction or not.

They stood a while longer, all staring at each other in the mostly silent room. It was getting uncomfortable, a heavy, stifling silence, and Sasuke could almost feel himself starting to twitch.

Then the door opened, and Mariko stepped inside carrying several grocery bags. All eyes turned to her as she closed the door behind her and slipped off her shoes, balancing the bags. She brushed back a strand of dark hair and made her way to the kitchen, not noticing she was currently the center of attention, and began her work of making dinner.

She placed all of her purchases on the counter, taking out the food, placing things either in the sink or on the counter or in the fridge, took out her apron and slipped it on, and began washing the vegetables, grabbed a knife and the cutting board, and began chopping up the ingredients.

"Ah, Konnichiwa, Mariko-san," Naruto said at last.

Finally she looked up. And jumped. "Oh, Naruto-sama. Konnichiwa. I'm sorry I'm late, Sasuke-sama," she said, and she bowed.

Sasuke waved it away. "It's fine."

"Ano, Mariko-san, this is Jiraiya," Naruto indicated the old pervert, "and Kakashi," and he indicated the younger pervert. "They're old family friends."

"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you," she bowed again. The two bowed in return.

"Well, it'll be a little while until dinner is ready. Why don't you have a seat," Sasuke said finally, glad the tense silence had concluded for the moment, and indicated toward the sofa.

The two men nodded and headed to the couch, Kakashi lovingly dusting off his book, which he had retrieved when Naruto had made his way over to Sasuke. The Uchiha resumed his place by the balcony window and Jiraiya planted himself in front of the TV. Naruto was about to sit beside him when he noted Kakashi admiring the room.

"Um, Kakashi, would you like a tour?" Naruto asked.

"I would, Naruto-kun," Kakashi nodded, smiling pleasantly behind his mask. He pocketed his book and trailed after the blond.

"Uh, so, this is the kitchen and the living room," Naruto indicated, a little nervously, and he moved toward the bedroom. He walked in, Kakashi following, that leering look on his face.

Sasuke watched them carefully, then picked up his own book when they vanished in the doorway. He took a deep, steadying breath and focused back on the black printed kanji.

"So, Uchiha," Jiraiya began, eyeing him up and down.

Sasuke wasn't a paranoid person by nature, but he didn't like that tone, or the way the old pervert was looking at him. "Yes?" Sasuke inquired, an elegant brow rising.

Jiraiya laughed quietly, and Sasuke couldn't help thinking it was a stereotypical pervert-laugh, like he was having dirty thoughts.

Naruto and Kakashi took that moment to re-enter the main room, Naruto laughing about something or other, and they made their way to the next door, leading into the smaller guest bathroom.

"Hmm," Kakashi mused as he looked at it. Then he shut the door and followed Naruto into the guest bedroom. "Two bedrooms, hmm?" he mused as he vanished into the room.

Sasuke ground his teeth. He glanced back at Jiraiya and saw the man was still studying him, but his face was set into a look Sasuke didn't trust in the least, like he was imagining what Sasuke did to Naruto at night in bed.

Sasuke cleared his throat and picked up his book again, trying his best to block out the other man's existence, fighting that persistent twitch of irritation that wouldn't leave his eye.

Naruto reappeared from the guest bedroom. "So, yeah, I mean, I guess, theoretically you could come over sometimes," he was muttering now, rubbing the back of his head nervously, his cheeks stained pink.

"I would like that," Kakashi replied, giving that pleasant smile again that Sasuke was really beginning to mistrust.

"Yes, yes. As would I," Jiraiya grinned, glancing over at the returned pair, ready to join the conversation.

Naruto glanced at Sasuke, who was trying his best to focus on his book. He knew, if Jiraiya and Kakashi were to start making themselves at home here like they had at his father's, he and Sasuke would never have any alone time. He could tell them to call first, at least, but he knew they'd never do it. He bit his lip.

"Well, we only have one extra bedroom," he tried hesitantly, hoping that would be enough to discourage them.

"But you have a couch. And it's simple to just buy a futon, and there's plenty of room to lay it out anywhere," Jiraiya replied, waving a hand at the whole general room.

"Yeah, well... I guess..." Naruto muttered.

"Sumimasen(1)," Mariko called to the group, making everyone turn to her. "Would anyone like a drink?" she inquired.

"That sounds lovely," Kakashi replied, grinning under his mask.

"Got any sake?" Jiraiya mumbled.

Naruto frowned at him as Mariko brought over some wine glasses and filled them with a deep red wine. She bowed as she handed a glass to Sasuke, who, without even bothering to look up, gracefully took it in hand and took a sip. He nodded briefly and she bowed again before wandering back to the kitchen.

Kakashi and Jiraiya watched curiously, Naruto's eyes going to the TV where a ninja was busily kicking a samurai's butt- literally- into a koi pond. He was well aware how graceful and aristocratic his lover was. It was old news to him now.

"Dinner should be ready shortly," Mariko announced before returning to her work, occasionally taking a moment or two to lay out the table.

"Huh, looks like you really did get yourself a sugar daddy, hm, brat?" Jiraiya muttered to the blond.

Naruto promptly turned beet red. "Stop saying that!" he screeched, forcing Sasuke to look up from his book and scowl at the interruption.

"I'm just saying, brat, you're doing pretty well for yourself now."

Naruto looked at Sasuke across the room. He had gone back to his book, once more trying to ignore the two visiting perverts.

"Gotta admit, the guy has a lot going for him. Good looking, rich. But," Jiraiya continued, Naruto's eyes widening as they stared at Jiraiya, a little scared at what he might say. Was he going to reject Sasuke and force him to go back with them? Kakashi and Sasuke looked up as well, both waiting for Jiraiya to finish his thought. "Is he any good in bed?"

Naruto nearly fell over and Sasuke nearly started choking on his own saliva- not a good thing for an Uchiha. Uchihas were to always be calm and collected. But this guy really was a pervert.

"That isn't any of your business," Sasuke growled, not able to hold himself back this time. If he didn't want his own brother butting into his love life, he definitely didn't want this old pervert he didn't even _know_ intruding.

"Not any of my business?" Jiraiya replied, standing to his full height and walked to the chair the Uchiha sat in, towering over him. "Such things are important you know. But more than that, you're forgetting something, _Uchiha brat_," Jiraiya growled. Sasuke flinched at what he had just been called, feeling the affront to his pride and position, but Jiraiya continued, "We have an interest in Naruto's happiness and safety, that if we don't think you're treating him right, Kakashi and I have the power to take that little blond idiot away from you, that you are at our mercy if you have any possibility of keeping him."

"Wha-" Naruto began.

But Sasuke beat him to it. He stood abruptly, book falling to the floor at his feet, and Jiraiya suddenly realized the Uchiha was at least as tall as he was, dark, intense, _furious,_ eyes boring into his own. "_You _have no say whatever happens, and no right to intimate knowledge of our lives. If I want Uzumaki Naruto, then Uzumaki Naruto is mine. The only one who has any input in what happens between me and him is Naruto himself. I am only indulging you because he asked it of me. I really couldn't care less if you approve or not. It's too late. If you regret this all happening, you should have protected him better."

Jiraiya swallowed audibly, and Kakashi's cheerful face fell. No one moved or said anything.

Naruto bit his lip, eyes going from Sasuke to Jiraiya to Kakashi. It had suddenly turned devastatingly tense.

"Um," Mariko began, standing nervously by the table, "Dinner is ready?"

* * *

(1) For those who don't know, it means "Excuse me" or "Sorry for interrupting". That kind a thing


	54. Chapter 54

Here we go, the next chapter. FYI, I am currently working on chapter 65, which means we still have another ten weeks set for regular updates (yay)! And hopefully by then I'll have a few more chapters done, so it'll actually be more. Also, I have a general outline up until about chapter 75, so we're good for now! The next chapter of SA is currently in the works, also, for those of you waiting for it, but the chapter's kinda running away from me, so we'll see.

So this chapter continues where the last left off, so enjoy!

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: more of last week's fun, unbeta'd

I don't think I've been mentioning this, but my beta kinda vanished on me, so all of these chapters I'm updating have not been checked by anyone but me. Sorry for any mistakes.

* * *

He was sitting next to Sasuke, Kakashi across from him at the dinner table, plates of food heaped up before him. The dinner was well set, many delicious foods to enjoy, but no matter how many glares sent in his direction, he wouldn't stay still. Fidget fidget, drop his food, fumble with the napkin in a clumsy attempt to clean up, then fidget some more, knock over his drink and struggle with the napkin again. It was getting really annoying.

After that little scene, Naruto just knew something bad was gonna come of it, and he couldn't sit still. Sasuke was as blank and expressionless as one could imagine. He was completely unfazed. But then, he had been the one with the upper-hand.

So Sasuke, of course, was all dignified calm. Casually he took a sip of wine, delicately dabbed at his mouth with a napkin, and with much grace and refinement, brought a perfectly proportioned bit of food into his mouth, skillfully balanced on his chopsticks.

Kakashi was almost gawking at the completely opposing specimens before him. He made a silent prayer to his sensei, apologizing for the sheer klutz of a son he hadn't been able to watch over, and tried to look like he wasn't in shock. Which, as it was Kakashi, was not difficult to do. All he really had to do was keep his eyes on "distant" and his mask firmly in place.

Jiraiya, for his part, couldn't keep the frown of confusion from his face. How the hell had these two idiots even managed to get together? They were from two completely different worlds, different universes, and he couldn't imagine how the prick Uchiha was managing to put up with the blond idiot. _The sex must really be good…_

And then Naruto, actively taking part in the relationship like this. _The sex must be really, _really _good..._

As if almost sensing the dirty thoughts burrowing their way through Jiraiya's mind, Naruto dropped his bowl on the table, sending bits of rice flying, a considerably large chunk making its way, somehow, into Jiraiya's nose.

"Damnit brat!" Jiraiya growled, rubbing at his nostrils. Kakashi tried to look pleasant. Sasuke frowned at Naruto.

"S-Sorry!" Naruto shrieked, and in his rush to clean up, he shot up out of his chair, reached over the table, and spilled the bottle of red wine.

Sasuke was beginning to feel a tick develop in his eye. Really, so far as he had seen, neither of these idiots was worth all of the nervousness. The green tome was tucked away in the silver-haired man's jacket (close to heart), the words _Icha Icha_ still clear enough on the cover, had noted the leering of the old white-haired man as Mariko served dinner, the drool as he watched her as she headed back into the kitchen, knew enough to know the man wasn't hungry for _food_.

Both of them were perverts, of that he was certain.

Why Naruto would be so anxious to please _them_ was beyond his superior Uchiha understanding. Which was really a feat, as it included "superior" and "Uchiha", which were, admittedly, synonymous.

But for the blond idiot's sake, who looked like he was about to have a stroke, he stood up and began cleaning the mess up himself, gently pushing Naruto back into his chair and away from pointy objects, aka broken glass. Naruto bit his lip and watched as Sasuke used his own napkin to clear the table of the red wine, pushing bowls and glasses and other things out of the way, not saying a word, but obviously wearing a frown.

Jiraiya cleared his throat. "Well. What a nice dinner."

Kakashi nodded, trying to be sociable. "And the apartment is… very lovely," he added, a bit late. Jiraiya nodded. Sasuke ignored them.

"Y-Yeah," Naruto replied. "I really," he cleared his throat, and continued, "really like it."

"Must'a cost a fortune," Jiraiya muttered, eyes wandering as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Kakashi hmn'd in his seat and took another bite of his meal.

Sasuke dumped his napkin in the wastebasket and grabbed another from a kitchen drawer and headed back to the table.

"Very nice," Kakashi murmured as he reorganized the food on his plate, eyes wandering the room again. "Everything does look very expensive, though, doesn't it..."

"And the neighborhood is a good neighborhood... So close to Shibuya," Jiraiya added.

"A very lovely neighborhood," Kakashi agreed.

"Did you even see it?" Naruto muttered, imagining Kakashi must have been too busy reading his porn to notice something trivial like what neighborhood he was in.

"Are you working Naruto?" Kakashi inquired.

Sasuke snorted.

"Uh, no," Naruto replied as he reached for his wine glass. Sasuke stopped him, and moved the glass closer to the blond himself. No need of a repeat of a few minutes ago. Naruto bit his lip.

"No job, huh. But then, with a sugar daddy like Uchiha, guess you don't need one," Jiraiya said.

Naruto blushed. "I told you, he's not my- Stop calling him that!"

"So cute. Naruto-kun can't say it," Kakashi grinned.

"I-" Naruto began, then dropped his chop sticks in his lap. At least they weren't breakable.

Sasuke sighed and took another sip of wine. He'd probably need more alcohol before the night was over, if he couldn't manage to get rid of them quick enough. They had been sufficiently brought down by what he had said to them, but they almost seemed ready to retaliate. He wasn't sure what to expect. He glanced at the blond, his cheeks still red, his hands kneading the napkin in his lap.

"Well, doesn't matter. Though I suppose you could technically say your job is in bed," Jiraiya mused.

"Wha- No!" Naruto replied, knocking over the salt. Sasuke sighed and reached over to clean it up.

Silence reigned as Sasuke once more acted as maid. He glanced at the kitchen, where Mariko was cleaning up, glancing at the clock every few seconds. It hadn't been a good time to have to call her. She had plans to meet her future in-laws in half an hour.

His dark eyes quickly took in the state of what he could see of the kitchen. Well, he was already acting as a maid over here, why not there too?

"Mariko," he called, causing her to pause in her current cleaning. "Go. I'll call you if I need you."

"Are you sure, Sasuke-sama?" she asked, but he could tell she was ready to dash out.

"It's fine. Go."

She stopped and bowed deeply, then pulled off the apron, grabbed her purse, rushed to her shoes and slipped them on, and she was gone.

It was silent again, Jiraiya and Kakashi continuing their meal, Naruto fidgeting more in his seat.

Jiraiya took his eyes off the door, erasing the disappointment of the lovely maid's disappearance and turned back to Naruto. "I noticed last time all the books. You've always loved books, huh brat?"

Naruto gave a hesitant smile, his eyes drifting over to Sasuke who sat back down in his most dignified manner.

"Yes, and you have all of Minato-sensei's again. Too bad yours are-" Kakashi stopped mid-sentence and glanced at Sasuke, who had lost his appetite and was just taking sips of the remains of the wine in his glass. A dark brow arched as if to say, "What the hell do _you_ want? Of course I know already."

Naruto rubbed his arm and pushed his plate away. He had lost his appetite too.

"But then, all of that, it's not your fault. Not as if you haven't tried everything you could. Not as if we haven't also," Jiraiya continued, eyes darting to the Uchiha. Naruto nodded but didn't say anything. "But damnit, those damn Namikazes piss me off."

Kakashi set down his chopsticks and peered at Naruto. "But just because they are a bunch of assholes, that doesn't mean you have to play their game. Hmm, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto looked up at him, not understanding. Kakashi's eyes drifted over to Sasuke. "You are doing much better than they would like. In fact, a place like this, I wouldn't be surprised if you're better off than them." Kakashi smiled widely. But Naruto frowned.

"That's not it. I'm not with Sasuke because I want to one-up them."

"No, you're not are you," Jiraiya agreed. "You're here for the money."

Both of them, clearly, were still upset by Sasuke's little speech, and as wrong as it was, they were starting to take it out on Naruto. But maybe, if they could get him to come to his senses, he at least would be able to walk away.

Naruto's eyes went wide and he shot to his feet. He wasn't going to play along."I am not here for Sasuke's money! I love him!"

Everyone's eyes went wide and Naruto turned beet red. The room fell silent.

That... Jiraiya and Kakashi hadn't expected.

"U-um," Naruto began quietly, blue eyes flicking over to Sasuke, to assess the look on his face, see if he had said something wrong or if, maybe, Sasuke was happy, maybe, to hear Naruto say that?

"What I meant was, I'm not here for Sasuke's money. I mean, it's nice, being able to have whatever I want. I can get stuff my father wouldn't have been able to afford for me. I mean, not that he wouldn't want me to have them, but, you know, even with all of his money from his books, he wasn't, I mean..." His eyes kept glancing at Sasuke, whose expression hadn't changed, "It's nice, having that freedom. And I know," he knew he was babbling, but Sasuke hadn't said anything, and he was getting increasingly nervous, his face getting hotter and hotter, "I know that it's because I'm here, with Sasuke. But even... even if he weren't giving me money for all the things I want, he's been good to me. He's been nice and understanding and," Naruto swallowed and licked his lips, not knowing if it was possible for him to go anymore red in the face. "I really, I'm grateful… to him… and…"

"Hmn. Damn brat." Jiraiya grinned. "What are you, a girl?"

Naruto glared at the old man. "I am not! I'm just saying, if I didn't love Sasuke I could easily have gone back to you two perverts at any time!"

Sasuke was looking at him now, and Naruto looked away from him, not able to meet his dark, gorgeous eyes.

Sasuke sighed and rubbed his eyes. "As pleasant as this evening has been, I have work tomorrow. May I ask that you leave soon? You can come back and annoy me later."

"Kinda rude to your guests," Jiraiya muttered.

"Naruto, you too."

"Huh?" Naruto stuttered, looking at Sasuke, eyes wide.

"It's time for bed, idiot. You didn't sleep well last night. Go take your bath. I'll see them off."

"O-oh," Naruto took a deep breath and nodded, casting a quick glance at Jiraiya and Kakashi, catching their perverted leers before heading to the bedroom and the bath.

Sasuke stood up and nodded toward the door. The two older men stood as well, but neither made any indication they were leaving.

"You know, we really could easily take Naruto away from here, far away from you, at any time," Kakashi said.

"You could try, but you won't," Sasuke replied, full of confidence in his statement. "Naruto would come back." And he was happy to know that, even if he didn't show it. "And besides, you all really haven't done everything yet, to take care of Naruto's problem. Maybe you did everything in _your_ power, but I have far more power than you do."

Kakashi nearly showed his surprise at that statement and Jiraiya frowned. "What the hell does that mean? You're really pissing me off, you know that?"

"You'll be back tomorrow, I imagine? We can discuss it then. I get the feeling you'll be coming over frequently," Sasuke grumbled. He, for one, had never imagined having to deal with annoying in-laws. And if it weren't Naruto, he probably wouldn't put up with these two. His eyes glanced disgustedly once more to that green book in the masked man's pocket.

He turned and headed to the door, ignoring the grins of agreement to his statement as he opened it for the two men, and shut it behind them, the two men exchanging a knowing glance the last he saw of them as the door closed.

He turned and headed for his phone. He had a lot of planning to do.


	55. Chapter 55

Here we go, the next chapter!

Looking back, I wrote this chapter while at work, where ANYONE and ANYTIME could have looked at what I was writing... And I had very nosy coworkers... I'm rather surprised they didn't...

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: smut! unbeta'd

* * *

Naruto was still a little nervous as he made his way to the bed, now freshly bathed and clad in silky pajamas. He peered out of the bedroom door to the sight of Sasuke with his cell phone pressed to his ear as he paced the middle of the open room, muttering and growling into the line.

He pulled back and leaned against the wall, sighing heavily. He still felt too warm from his abrupt, unprepared and mostly ignored confession earlier. For a moment he really had thought Sasuke was really telling him to leave with Jiraiya and Kakashi. He bit his lip and moved to the bed, nuzzling under the warm blankets, pushing his face into Sasuke's pillow, inhaling his scent.

It was scary, the idea that Sasuke might reject him. Sure, it had been him in the first place that started all of this, and he had made that speech in the living room that had riled up Kakashi and Jiraiya, but maybe he didn't want Naruto to _love _him, maybe that was an unnecessary burden to him. You don't need to be in love to have sex.

He swallowed thickly and turned to his side, facing away from the door (the side of the bed Sasuke usually slept), and toward the balcony. He let his eyes drift closed and tried not to think about his impromptu confession.

His breath caught when he heard Sasuke enter the room and get into bed beside him. He felt Sasuke's arms circle his waist and pull him close, and he swore he stopped breathing entirely, his heart racing. He could feel a fluttering in his stomach as Sasuke leaned in more, placing a soft kiss on his neck, turning Naruto closer to him to place a chaste kiss on his lips.

Naruto's face was hot, and the rest of his body was following.

"Sasuke?" Naruto whispered into the other man's lips.

"Hmm?"

Naruto swallowed, then licked his lips, and then Sasuke was kissing him again. He turned to face him, lining up his body with Sasuke's, kissing him passionately. He could feel his face warm, his heart racing and his stomach filling with butterflies. The blond wrapped his arms around his dark-haired lover, pulling their bodies close together.

Sasuke's tongue licked at his lips, and Naruto opened his mouth, letting the warm, wet muscle enter him. Naruto moaned, his whole body on fire. He had spread his legs unconsciously, Sasuke's hard, covered member rubbing against him. He wanted his clothes off, now, and moved his hands in order to do just that.

Tan hands moved swiftly, unbuttoning the dress shirt Sasuke was still wearing, moving it off his shoulders and onto the floor by the bed. Then his hands moved lower, first feeling his lover's hard chest, then down to Sasuke's pants, carefully unbuttoning them and pulling them down. Sasuke let him do what he wanted, didn't make any move to do anything himself. He didn't hinder, but moved to get his pants off, but he didn't help to take them off.

Then all the pale man wore was his boxers, and Naruto moved to undress himself, burning up with the need to get on with it, to have Sasuke inside of him, filling him. Hurriedly he pulled off his shirt and tugged his pants down, barely taking the time to unbutton them first.

As soon as he was completely naked, the chill of the air getting to his heated flesh, he pulled Sasuke closer, kissing him passionately, tongues playing and teasing, and he wrapped his arms around his lover, legs spreading, and he began to position Sasuke's erection at his entrance. He could feel Sasuke's smirk.

He had never been the one to take the initiative before, and he could feel how incredibly embarrassed he was to be doing this now. Maybe because of his confession, actually, most likely because of it, he needed the reassurance, needed Sasuke to know just how much he was willing to do for him, how much he loved him. And that Sasuke wasn't going to reject him.

Carefully he pushed Sasuke away and switched their positions, a dark brow raised in curiosity. Then Naruto was on top of the other man, and again he positioned Sasuke's member at his entrance. He bit his lip, blue eyes examining dark as night orbs, and pushed.

He held back a moan as Sasuke's cock entered him, deeper and deeper. He swallowed thickly as his body took it all in, and then he moved, impaling himself on the hard organ. Dark eyes watched him intensely as he moved, his eyes shut as he concentrated on his rhythm, biting his lip enticingly as he rode the other man.

Sasuke was very pleased with the sight. So pleased, soon he was actively participating rather than just admiring, and before long he had taken control again, shoving Naruto's back against the mattress and taking him aggressively.

Naruto's moans offered encouragement, and soon they were both pushed over the edge, both coming hard, Naruto's body tightening around Sasuke, drawing out every drop.

They pulled apart and collapsed side by side, exhausted from their little romp.

Naruto's body was still hot, even with the chill sweeping down on him. He looked at his lover, dark eyes shut closed. Naruto bit his lip and leaned toward him and kissed him gently, then pulled away and collapsed beside him, letting his own eyes shut.

"Oi, dobe," Sasuke murmured after a while.

"Yeah, bastard?" Naruto replied, a small smile on his face.

"I-" Sasuke stopped, and Naruto glanced over at him. Even in the mostly darkened room he could see Sasuke's frown.

"What is it?" Naruto asked again.

Sasuke looked away, trying to avoid the blond's beautiful blue eyes. Those eyes that had swept him away the moment they first met his, even in the intense rain. "I'm not letting them take you from me." And Sasuke's frown deepened. Damn Uchiha pride, he couldn't say it, what he had meant to say. What Naruto wanted to hear.

What he wanted to tell him.

But all he could do was add, "No matter what."

Naruto smiled. "Good." He wrapped his arms around his lover's waist and curled up against his warm back, his head against the other man's neck, nose buried in soft, raven locks. Just like the night before, and how he wanted to spend every night after, curled up against Sasuke, he fell asleep.

But this time, at least, he fell asleep with no worries about tomorrow.


	56. Chapter 56

Another week, another chapter. This one has a lot of notes, so be prepared!

Disclaimer: don't own (never have, never will, so sad...)

Warnings: unbeta'd, lots of notes/translations

* * *

It was another day, and he went through his normal routine as always. He was in a good mood, so everything had a rosy glow as he wandered through the streets toward his most favorite book store and his beloved ramen shop.

Snow was drifting down slowly, in small flakes, covering the street lightly with white. He walked along carefully, knowing full well if he wasn't careful he'd slip and fall (he'd already fallen twice this morning). But he was content as he walked, and he tugged his scarf closer around his neck and proceeded, soon finding himself in front of the bookstore.

A quick trip in and he had a new book in hand, and he made his way to the ramen shop, ready for a quick, delicious meal of miso ramen. He'd stay longer, normally, but he knew Jiraiya and Kakashi were planning on making a re-appearance today- Sasuke had informed him of that.

He pulled out his phone and glanced at his four contacts. Ichiraku Ramen, Sasuke, Kakashi and Jiraiya. It was a little bit sad, actually, and he quickly decided to ask Temari-san and some others at the bookstore for their numbers and email tomorrow. Maybe he'd try to contact Kiba, who had been his best friend but had been ignored after his father died.

Soon he had arrived at Ichiraku's, ate six bowls, and was making his way back down the street, happily full, to his apartment. He'd make himself comfortable on the couch and read, waiting for Sasuke to get home and for their guests to arrive for the second day in a row.

Yesterday he had been frantic, terrified about the impending visit. Today was completely different. After last night's... _bedtime_, and with Sasuke's reassurance, he was no longer worried. The first meeting was over with, so now he could be happy, content with how things were going. Not everything was as he wished, but at the moment, he couldn't imagine himself happier.

He knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, that they, meaning Kakashi, Jiraiya and Sasuke, had every intention of not letting things go as they were. The peace they would break, pushing forward to satisfy Naruto, to make the Namikazes pay (and in Sasuke's case, at least, _suffer_) for all that they had done to him. They didn't really understand, or didn't _want_ to understand, that he _was_ satisfied with the way his life was. Thanks to Sasuke, he _was _happy.

Still, he knew they wouldn't let it go.

He stopped at the apartment front door, reached for his key and opened it, stepping in to the warm apartment. He shrugged off his scarf and jacket, tugged off his shoes, and meandered inside, enjoying the peace and comfort as he made his way to the couch, collapsing contentedly. He stretched, then pulled out his new book, opening it and allowing his mind to be filled with the created world.

Before he knew it the door opened and Sasuke wandered in. He dropped his suitcase and pulled off his shoes, taking the rest of his burdens into the room. He dropped a long package on Naruto's lap, then turned and made his way into the bedroom.

Naruto frowned at his back. "Okaeri, Asshole," he called after the brunet.

Sasuke grunted.

The blond placed the book aside, careful to keep his place, and fingered the long package, wondering what it could be, vaguely also wondering what Sasuke's problem was. Just before he could open the item, Sasuke reappeared at the doorway.

"Tadaima," he sighed, before making his way slowly to the couch and collapsing beside the blond, eyes sliding shut.

"Long day?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke grunted again. "Damn Itachi."

"What happened?" Naruto inquired, fingering the box again.

"Nothing worth mentioning. He's a bastard every day, no need to burden you with the details."

Naruto nodded. The blond pursed his lips and eyed the package. "What's this?" he asked.

Sasuke sat up. It was a (self-satisfying mostly) part of his plan, but Naruto didn't need to know that. He smirked instead. "Open it."

Naruto tilted his head to the side curiously, his brows furrowing. Then he relaxed his features and began opening the long box. It wasn't difficult to do, it wasn't wrapped up like a present, just packaged enough to keep the contents from spilling out. But when he did open it, his eyes shot open wide.

"What is this?" Naruto murmured, fingering the long, thin object.

"What does it look like? It's a katana."

Naruto swallowed. "But why..."

Sasuke sighed and leaned back again. "It's mine, actually."

Naruto looked up at his lover curiously, his mouth set in a surprised "O". "Yours?"

"Aa. A gift, from my parents when I turned sixteen." Sasuke opened his eyes and looked sideways at the blond, his dark eyes boring into beautiful blue.

"From your parents," Naruto murmured. He still didn't know anything about them, but Sasuke had never mentioned them before. He had a few questions on the matter, but even now, he wasn't sure this was the right time to voice them.

Sasuke nodded and looked away again, his eyes slipping closed once more. "I was a master with it. Actually," and he smirked, "I'm better with a katana than my brother is."

"Really?" Naruto asked. He did know that Itachi-san did seem to be superior in pretty much everything, so hearing about something Sasuke was better at was a little exciting.

"I met Mariko so she could give it to me. I want to display it here."

Naruto nodded, smiling happily. He liked that idea. He wanted to see Sasuke use it, like a demonstration. Maybe he could ask him later...

He looked back at the sword. At first glance, it was a plain looking sword. The tsuka(1) and saya(2) were both uniformly black, the tsuka-ito(3) a soft, luscious black silk, the samehada(4) shark-skin so black, it almost shone blue in the light, with a silver uchiwa serving as the menuki(5). The same uchiwa was also on the tsuba(6), on each side of the katana, and Naruto was really starting to wonder at the significance. It was just a plain fan, but it was so elegantly done in finely polished silver.

He pulled the saya free just enough to reveal the habaki(7), and saw yet another uchiwa engraved in the silver. The sageo(8) was silk, and the saya itself was all solid black save for the long, ornamental silver dragon sprawled along its length, in its claw that same polished uchiwa.

It was absolutely breath-taking. It matched its owner well.

Naruto fingered it gently, affectionately almost.

"I have a tanto(9) also, but I didn't feel like bringing it. I've never had need of it," Sasuke said, leaning back on the sofa.

"Then why do you have it?" Naruto asked, eyes still admiring the katana, fingers still sweeping down it gently.

"My parents felt it completed the set," Sasuke shrugged, indifferent.

Naruto smiled as he studied the kashira(10), adorned with yet another polished silver uchiwa.

"So what's with the uchiwa?" Naruto finally asked as he finished his inspection, looking up at Sasuke with big, curious blue eyes.

"Uchiwa, Uchiha. It's my family crest. Idiot."

Naruto's eyes widened. He hadn't thought of that. "Your family has a family crest? A real family crest?" He had never met anyone who really could claim to have one, but really, Sasuke was from a rich family, so it wasn't _that _much of a surprise. But it was still really cool.

"Old samurai family," was all Sasuke said in reply. It was really all the explanation needed.

Naruto sat amazed. His lover really was far more amazing than he had realized. But then, there was still a lot about him Naruto didn't know. It made him a little sad, actually.

He looked back at the beautiful katana. "So uh, where do you want to display it?"

"Wherever," Sasuke replied.

Naruto frowned. "Are you really that tired?"

Sasuke sighed heavily, nearly grunting. "I've had a long day." He lifted his arm and glanced at his watch. "And it still isn't over," he added.

"Hmm?" Naruto tilted his head curiously, eyes focused on his handsome lover's face.

"Your... whatever they are. They're supposed to come back today, remember?"

Naruto's mouth fell open slightly. He couldn't believe he had completely forgotten about that. "R-right. Jiraiya and Kakashi. I wonder where they are," he muttered, scratching nervously at his nose.

Sasuke sighed and stood up. "I'm sure they'll be making an appearance soon. Wouldn't want me to get comfortable. Just like Itachi..." Sasuke muttered as he wandered back into the bedroom. Naruto sat there, frowning at him, before turning his attention back on the beautiful katana. He glanced around the room, trying to picture the best place for it.

"Hmm," he mused, blue eyes sweeping the room. His eyes landed on the overflowing bookshelf, and he grinned. Jumping up, he carried his burden with him, pulling out the stand underneath the sword and set it up on the table, like a beautiful, deadly centerpiece. He had to admit, he was a little curious to pull the blade from its scabbard, but he didn't want to cut himself. He knew it must be incredibly sharp.

He stood back and admired it. It wouldn't stay on the table permanently, but for now, at least, it was the best place in the apartment. Eventually he would need to get another bookshelf (or three), and he'd make a point to get a smaller one so he could display the beautiful katana on top. The beautiful masterpiece would look perfect adorning his books.

He smiled to himself and made his way back to the couch. He cast one quick glance at the door to the bedroom before picking up his book and resuming his reading. He'd give Sasuke some room for the moment, to relax and unwind a bit. Hopefully Kakashi and Jiraiya would take their time getting here.

* * *

I used a whole lot of Japanese terms in this chapter, and I had to look all this stuff up about katanas, since I myself am really not all that knowledgeable about them (you know, I have never done so much research for a story before as this one…). But here you go! Translations:

(1) tsuka – handle

(2) saya – scabbard

(3) tsuka-ito – the braid on the handle

(4) samehada – sharkskin or rayskin under the tsuka-ito

(5) menuki – the ornament on the handle just underneath the tsuka-ito

(6) tsuba – guard

(7) habaki – blade collar (the part just over the top of the blade where it connects with the tsuba

(8) sageo – the cord around the saya close to the tsuba

(9) tanto – short sword, usually paired with a full length katana

(10) kashira – pommel

If I forgot to note something, let me know. ^_^


	57. Chapter 57

Another chapter up! This one I personally find amusing, but that might just be me. Oh well... Enjoy!

(By the by, next chapter we get to the plan!)

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: pervertedness (Kakashi and Jiraiya are present, after all), unbeta'd

* * *

Naruto had made another several pages of progress when Sasuke wandered back out of the bedroom, looking fresh and changed and in better spirits (for him). He still had a bit of a glare on his face, but it had lessened. Naruto smiled secretly at him, then turned his eyes back to his book.

Sasuke wandered about the kitchen for a while, before finally making his way back to the front door, picking up his briefcase and taking it to the table. He placed it on the table top and glanced up, double-taking as he noted the katana resting there. He smirked, and Naruto's smile grew as he saw Sasuke's reaction out of the corner of his eye.

Then the dark-haired man turned back to his work, opening the suitcase and pulling out a laptop, resting it on the flat surface and turning it on.

Naruto had never seen the laptop before, and he was suddenly intrigued, no longer paying any attention to his book.

"You have a laptop?" Naruto asked from where he sat.

"Of course I do," Sasuke replied, not even bothering to glance up.

Naruto opened his mouth to say more when the doorbell rang. Sasuke sighed, Naruto pouted.

Sasuke turned back to his laptop and sat down casually. "I opened the door for them yesterday, today's your turn," he remarked.

Naruto sighed and stood up, stretching leisurely, noting Sasuke's dark eyes fixed intently on him. He smiled slightly and languidly made his way to the door, pulling it open.

Kakashi was standing there, smiling, like he had just heard a particularly funny joke, probably perverted. Jiraiya looked very pleased with himself, standing tall and proud. Naruto rolled his eyes.

"You're here," he muttered. He stepped to the side and let them in, Kakashi giving him a pat on the head as he passed. Naruto glared.

"Well brat, you're looking _well,_" Jiraiya intoned, looking perversely at Naruto.

Naruto scowled at him. "Knock it off, Ero-Sennin."

"Now, now, children," Kakashi soothed. "Play nice. We haven't seen each other in such a long time, let's all get along now, hmm?"

Naruto shrugged and made his way back to the couch, casting a quick glance at Sasuke on his way, but his dark-haired lover never looked up from his work.

"'Well, Uchiha," Jiraiya began, standing behind Sasuke. "When are you gonna tell us this plan of yours, hmm?"

Sasuke merely waved him away.

Kakashi shook his head sadly and wandered over to Naruto, collapsing beside the blond. He watched him for a while, remembering all of his features, all of his mannerisms. "How was your day, Naruto-kun?" Kakashi inquired at last.

Naruto shrugged. "It was pretty good, I guess. Went to the bookstore, went to Ichiraku's. It was nice."

"Hmm, is that so?" Kakashi mused. He could hear Jiraiya behind him, harassing the Uchiha about his so-called plan. "Spill it already, damnit. You're really pissing me off," the old man muttered. "Later," was the bland response. Kakashi turned his attention back to the blond, watched Naruto continuing to read, his eyes darting quickly back to the Uchiha, where Jiraiya still stood behind him, scowling. "Jiraiya-san said that ramen place is good. We should go sometime."

Naruto looked up from his book and grinned. "Definitely!"

Kakashi smiled back and patted the boy on the head again. Naruto's eyes went back to the book. "How was the sex last night?"

"Good as al...ways... Shit! Don't ask me that!" Naruto cried, blushing beet red as he looked up, book falling from his hands to the floor.

Jiraiya was all ears, rushing over to sit on the other side of the blond, notebook in hand. "You know, I've always wanted to write a man on man version of _Icha Icha_. Never been too interested in seeing that kinda thing, but to be a true connoisseur of the Erotic Arts, I should be well versed. So let's have it, tell me some good details."

"I'm not telling you any details of my sex life!"

"But it's good, hmm?" Kakashi mused, glancing over at the Uchiha who was furiously trying to pretend they didn't exist.

"Damn brat shouldn't even have a sex life," Jiraiya muttered in Uchiha's general direction.

Kakashi sniffled. "Our little one is growing up."

"Come on, brat! You gotta give me something. We're family!" Jiraiya exclaimed.

"We are _not _family." Naruto shuttered. "You're just my creepy, perverted god-father."

"Now, now, Naru-chan," Kakashi scolded lightly, and Naruto winced at the old nickname, "We _are _family, you know Minato-sensei would say that. Like me, you're beloved uncle 'Kashi-chan."

Naruto shook his head, his cheeks way too warm. "Absolutely not."

"Now, Naru-chan, be kind to us. We're supporting you and Prick-san- sort of- you should be grateful."

"Now give me all the sordid, dirty details!" Jiraiya added, putting pen to paper, poised to write.

"Ab-so-lute-ly NOT," Naruto pouted, crossing his arms stubbornly across his chest.

"Naru-chan," Kakashi scolded again, wagging a finger at the blond. "We have to know if Uchiha is treating you well. If you won't tell us what you do with him in bed, how are we going to know he's taking good care of you?"

"Knowing what our sex life is like is unrelated to how he's treating me. And he's treating me fine. Now drop it!"

Kakashi shook his head sadly, Jiraiya's face taking on an appalled expression. "Poor, innocent Naru-chan," Kakashi sighed.

"Now get this, brat. Sex is a vital part of life, and the only thing that really matters," Naruto had a hard time believing that one, especially coming from Ero-Sennin, "and knowing every instance of your sex life with His Royal Bastardness is a significant indication of whether or not you have a healthy, fulfilling life. Now, spill!"

Sasuke was starting to see where Naruto got the nickname calling from. He wasn't sure how much more of Jiraiya and Kakashi's "endearing" nicknames for him he could stand. Still, he kept his mouth shut. He knew better than to get involved in _this_.

"No," Naruto pouted. He couldn't believe these two wouldn't drop it.

"We'll have to go to extreme measures if you don't divulge the information," Kakashi stated seriously.

Naruto's jaw dropped. "You are not going to peep on us!"

"Naru-chan, we have to know that Stick-up-His-Ass-san is taking appropriate care of you. If he isn't good in bed, if he can't satisfy your lust, he should be tossed away," Kakashi said matter-of-factly. And now, he was really starting to piss off Sasuke.

He vaguely wondered if this was payback for yesterday...

But Naruto was too busy being completely red in the face to take heed of any of that. He didn't want these two perverts knowing anything about his sex life, because it was highly embarrassing and none of their business, and he could only imagine what their reactions would be if they found out how wanton he was getting to be, or if they ever found out how incredibly slutty he had just been last night...

_Oh god, they can't know! Ever! _Naruto shouted/prayed fervently, blue eyes darting to his lover.

"Drop it!" Naruto pouted again, focusing back on the two older men.

"Now, Naru-chan," Kakashi was starting up again. The blond swore he was going to faint if this continued much longer.

"Naruto, I can't concentrate on my work, I'm going into the bedroom," Sasuke's deep voice interrupted. Suddenly Naruto realized Sasuke was standing behind him. He looked up, bright blue eyes meeting darkest black. There was that connection again, that fiery intensity that always seemed to spring up when their eyes met. Naruto's heart began to race.

"I just have to finish this project, I'll be back out in an hour or so."

Naruto nodded blandly, and gasped as Sasuke reached over the couch and placed his lips on the blond's, kissing gently but passionately. Naruto was melting...

Sasuke pulled away from a dazed blond, cast a quick smirk at the two wide-eyed guests and confidently strode over to the bedroom, firmly shutting the door behind him.

"Well," Jiraiya muttered. "I could make a great book out of this..."

Naruto was red again. "No you will not!"

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to change the characters names to protect the innocent... er," Jiraiya leered at the blond. "Maybe innocent isn't the right word anymore, huh?" He grinned.

_That's it_, Naruto sighed. _I'm done for_.

"How about Uzunaki Haruto and Uchira Sasume?" Jiraiya mused.

Naruto's head fell.

"Lovely idea as always, Jiraiya-sama. I look forward to reading it, another best-seller, I'm sure," Kakashi gushed. He always turned into a squealing fan-girl when it came to Jiraiya's dirty books.

"I'm dead..." Naruto muttered to himself. The two men ignored him, going through the plot of Jiraiya's newest smut novel.


	58. Chapter 58

Next chapter up! And finally, finally, after drawing it out forever and a day, we get to hear Sasuke's plan! On that note, I apologize for my supreme suckiness. I can't help but think that I haven't explained Sasuke's plan sufficiently, or maybe that it's just that I'm not creative enough to come up with a decent plan worthy of Sasuke... Sorry! But hopefully later chapters will explain the plan better, and the plan won't turn out as lame as it seems to sound at the moment. We'll see...

Warnings: reminder of why we dislike the Namikazes..., unbeta'd

Disclaimer: don't own

I want sushi...

* * *

When Sasuke came out of the bedroom an hour and a half later, Naruto was laying on the couch, a wet towel on his forehead. Jiraiya and Kakashi were in a deep, intense discussion, Kakashi occasionally giggling like a school-girl in glee.

He raised a dark brow inquisitively and made his way over to the prone blond. "Oi, dobe," he murmured softly, leaning down and kissing the blond's lips gently.

Naruto sighed. "Damn those two old perverts."

"Hmm. What did I miss?"

"A headache," was Naruto's groaned response.

"Wonderful."

"Alright, Uchiha. You gonna tell us this plan'a yours or not?" Jiraiya called, finally having noticed the dark-haired man. Kakashi promptly left "fan-girl mode" and switched to "very concerned uncle mode", suddenly looking serious and deadly.

Sasuke sighed and helped Naruto up. Blue eyes blinked at him, and he held back a smirk. Then he turned dark, determined eyes to the two men. "We're going to _obliterate _the Namikazes."

"Oh?" Jiraiya muttered. "How do you propose we do that?"

Sasuke scowled, both men a little surprised to see the expression. "As much as I loath to do it, I'm going to do as Itachi suggested..."

"Itachi is Sasuke's older brother," Naruto added.

"I hate admitting the egotistical bastard might be right about something, but... I've hired a lawyer. We're going to legally take back everything from the Namikazes, and then, once everything that belongs to Naruto has been reclaimed, I'm going to financially, socially, and _personally _obliterate the family itself."

Kakashi looked a bit taken aback, Naruto looked outright appalled, and Jiraiya laughed maniacally. "I love it!" he exclaimed. "Brilliant!" he added for good measure.

"Hmm, somehow I feel as though Minato-sensei would not be pleased with that course of action. They are his family, after all..." Kakashi began.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Jiraiya stated. "Minato didn't like them much either. I'm sure he wouldn't be _too_ upset. Besides, they started it. They went to war against Naruto, it's only right we go to war against _them_. I'm sure he'd be on the front lines with us. For Naruto."

Kakashi frowned, brows furrowing. "I suppose..."

Sasuke nodded, pleased with the plan he had formulated. He was very good at planning, after all. "We'll give it a little time for the lawyers to get in there and do their job, find loopholes and take the Namikazes down from the inside, and then we'll publicly destroy them."

Naruto frowned. "No."

Three pairs of eyes turned to the blond. "Eh? What's wrong, brat?"

Naruto shook his head. "We can't do that."

"Why not?" Kakashi asked. He had to admit, he wasn't 100% on board, but he was about 85% there.

"I can't do that. It isn't right. I mean, sure, they did everything they could to destroy me, to leave me broke, alone, and with no way to get on my feet and live my life. And they did do everything they could to take away anything and everything that I loved, that I had worked hard for and made for myself- my school, my job, my girlfriend..."

Kakashi was suddenly 130% on board. Jiraiya was ready to start sabotaging them _now_.

"But still, they _are_family, and I can't do that to them. I'm not like that," Naruto continued.

"Don't be stupid," Sasuke said. Naruto glared up at him, and Sasuke was a little taken aback- not that it showed- that Naruto was openly angry with him. Well, if it didn't work out, he could always blame Itachi, it had been his seed of an idea that had started it, after all.

"That's your mother talking," Jiraiya sighed. Naruto looked at him, eyes wide and curious. Jiraiya smiled awkwardly, and even Kakashi's expression softened. "Your mother wouldn't have ever been able to do something like that. Her and Minato leaving without the Namikaze's permission never did sit well with her. But they have treated you unfairly, and they can't get away with that. You can't let them get away with that."

"Naruto-kun, you can't just sit back and let them take everything you have. If not for Uchiha, you would still be on the streets, with nothing. Not only did they take everything your father had worked so hard on, but even those things which were _yours_ they took. They didn't care you were going to be left with nothing, they didn't care if you wound up _dead_. Their greed and jealousy ruined you, and you don't deserve that. Yes, they were upset about Minato marrying your mother, but they shouldn't have taken it out on you. This-" Kakashi indicated the room they were sitting in, "this is the kind of life you deserve."

Naruto sighed, then slowly shook his head. "But I just can't do it."

Sasuke furrowed his brows, his arms crossed over his chest. "Not even if it meant you could get your father's books back? And your necklace?"

Naruto's eyes widened, as did Kakashi and Jiraiya's.

"They took your necklace?" Jiraiya asked harshly, his fists clenched and his jaw tight.

Even Kakashi looked ready to grab the katana on the table and storm into the Namikaze's home. Both of them knew what that necklace had meant to the young blond.

Naruto's eyes closed and he took a deep breath. He could feel the old pain returning, and in his mind's eye he could see his father smiling at him. He could see the silhouette of his father, sitting at his desk, typing away on those stories he loved so much. In a flash he recalled that book he had bought of his father's, the book his Namikaze grandfather had written an introduction to, how he pretended to know his father, when he really didn't, he didn't know _anything_about him...

He thought of his old house that had burned to the ground, nothing left. He thought of all the things inside, the pictures- him and his father, him and the three older men, his mother- of the books, all of the things in his room, the cared for lawn and the living room where they used to sit together and read.

Naruto's eyes were stinging, even as he remembered not being able to go to school anymore, losing his job and any chance he had of getting any other job, finding out he no longer had cell phone service, or that he no longer had access to any of his bank accounts, even the ones under his name only...

His eyes opened and he looked up at Sasuke, his eyes finding the obsidian orbs, and he swallowed the lump in his throat.

Really, truly, he wanted the Namikazes to pay for what they had done to him. It wasn't fair, he didn't deserve that. They were family, they shouldn't have done that to him. They didn't even _know_him, had never tried to know him. And they didn't know his father.

And his necklace...

It had been the last thing he owned from his old life, and they had taken that, too. Everything...

But when he thought about it, what he wanted back the most were his father's books. They were the strongest connection he had with his father now. His father's words, spoken directly to him...

He closed his eyes again and took a deep breath. When he opened them, he had made his decision.

"I do want them to pay. I want everything they took from me back."

Sasuke nodded. "And we'll get them back." He frowned. "But I won't hurt them if you don't want me to," he conceded, though a little hesitantly. His eyes glanced at the katana. "I'll just threaten them a bit. Or a lot. But I won't follow through. Unless they really, really deserve it and piss me off, then I can't be held accountable for my actions."

Naruto smiled up at him, fighting back a laugh. He was still uneasy about the plan, but for now, it would be alright.

"Well, I feel as though we have made a real breakthrough today," Jiraiya grinned.

"I, too, feel as though we have made Minato-sensei very proud. With Uchiha-san's help, we'll get back everything Naruto-kun had taken from him, and then Naruto-kun won't have to depend on Uchiha anymore," Kakashi smiled.

Naruto's smile dropped off his face and he looked at Sasuke. A dark brow rose.

"I don't know where you got that idea," Sasuke said. Kakashi and Jiraiya stared at him. "Naruto said he'd be mine, he's not getting away from me now. Besides, he'll just end up owing me if he leaves me after everything I've done for him." He turned and headed to the kitchen.

"Now wait a minute," Jiraiya started.

"Naruto, you hungry?" Sasuke asked the blond, ignoring the other two. Naruto's smile returned, and he nodded and jumped up, heading to the kitchen as well.

"What do we have?"

"Hmm," Sasuke mused and he began searching the fridge.

Jiraiya sighed. "It's really a lost cause. Naruto is now anti-heterosexuality."

"Well, so long as he's not anti-sex," Kakashi shrugged.

Jiraiya nodded. "Good point."

"Still, Uchiha hasn't won yet," Kakashi muttered. Jiraiya nodded again.

"Not if we have anything to say about it."


	59. Chapter 59

Another week, and another chapter. This chapter is super, super short, and it's kinda filler-ish in that nothing much happens, but it's a nice little chapter (I think so anyways).

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: fillerish, super short, unbeta'd

* * *

It was raining in torrents, and he smiled softly to himself as he remembered that first day they had met. That dark, horrendous night when he was just about ready to give up, when the pain and loneliness was getting nearly impossible to bear. That night Sasuke had saved him and given him a new life...

He looked away from the view of the falling rain and into the warm, bright room. Jiraiya was picking through the kitchen cabinets, in search of booze. Kakashi was sitting comfortably in a chair, slight giggling noises erupting from him every so often as he read from his beloved green tome. And Sasuke was sitting at the table, his laptop open in front of him as he typed away, a frown marring his face as he glared at the screen.

Naruto smiled. It was a beautiful day. And he couldn't imagine himself happier- except perhaps, if his father were here, too. He could imagine that. His father would be sitting with Kakashi, reading his own book and casting furtive glares at the irrepressible man every time he interrupted him with those giggles. His father was a quiet reader, his thoughts on whatever he was reading were only visible on his face if you watched him.

Or he would be in the kitchen, scolding his teacher about how it was far too early in the day to be getting drunk and to knock it off, making a mess and terrorizing his son's neat home.

Or maybe he'd be sitting at the table with Sasuke, curious as to what he was working on, or working on his own laptop beside him. He could imagine how his father would feel about Sasuke, mixed feelings maybe, or skepticism, or maybe he'd be completely untrusting of him. He wouldn't be angry with Naruto. He'd be happy Naruto was happy, and after a while, he'd see that Naruto really _was _ happy, _is _happy, even with him no longer actually here. And he'd see that Sasuke really does care about Naruto, too.

But then again, maybe he'd just be here, sitting next to Naruto on the couch, watching the rain fall outside. They'd be chatting about any number of small unimportant things; maybe he'd be writing something on his laptop, and everything would be warm and peaceful.

He sighed and smiled at his reflection in the window. The rain still fell. He heard more giggles from his side and a crash from the kitchen and his smile grew wider.

"Dobe, what are you grinning about?" Sasuke asked from behind him. He hadn't heard the other man approach, hadn't noticed the ceasing of the sounds of keys clacking away. The blond looked up behind him, taking in the raised brow and the handsome face.

"Just thinking. It's a nice day, isn't it?"

Sasuke frowned. "It's raining."

"Yup," Naruto grinned, standing up and stretching. Something else fell in the kitchen and Sasuke's frown intensified.

"Woops, sorry," Jiraiya called from the kitchen, rubbing the back of his head.

Naruto ignored him and kept talking, his grin never leaving his face. "Don't you think it's beautiful? It's just like when we met!"

Sasuke turned his attention back to Naruto and eyed him carefully for a moment, then said, "Do you even remember when we met? Weren't you too busy being unconscious?"

Naruto pouted. "Jerk," he muttered. But his smile returned and he sighed wistfully. "It was beautiful either way, because I got to meet you. And now I'm happy."

"Oh?" Sasuke asked, a small, crooked smile on his face. Naruto smiled at him, his blue eyes flashing.

"Um-hm. Even if you are a jerk sometimes."

"Tch."

Naruto laughed and turned once more to the rain. It was a good day, a good feeling in the air, contentedness filled him.

"I am happy," he muttered to himself. His eyes closed. "I can be happy, even if you're not here, dad."


	60. Chapter 60

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: more preverted-ness from Jiraiya and Kakashi, unbeta'd

* * *

Jiraiya and Kakashi were over a lot.

Naruto had somewhat expected it, but Sasuke wasn't entirely prepared for that fact. In all honesty, he had never seen himself in a position of having to deal with unwanted in-laws on a regular basis. If asked, all he wanted was the blond (anytime and anywhere, preferably naked).

Unfortunately, with Kakashi and Jiraiya constantly present, and not just during the day when he was too busy dealing with Itachi's idiocy and all around bossy nature- not to mention occasionally working, and not even just in the afternoon, but _all of the time_. They had one guest bedroom, but the two (uninvited) guests switched from bedroom to couch every night ("It's only fair," they had agreed, while Sasuke fought back the growing irritation from showing _too _prominently on his face. He was an Uchiha, damnit! Uchiha's didn't do emotion!).

And, god help him, not only was the constant presence irritating, it was what that constant presence brought along that really was starting to get to him.

Namely, the lack of his favorite night-time (and other time) activity which had nothing to do with sleep.

Basically, he was becoming a bit sexually frustrated. He was a smart, attractive, young, rich man, and he was finding himself sexually frustrated. If asked only a few months ago if he thought he'd ever be in that situation, he would have called the questioner an idiot and had them forcibly removed from the building.

But here he was, sitting beside a breathtakingly beautiful (and fuckable) blond who was completely devoted to him, and he was off limits.

Naruto's excuse?

"Do you _want _them walking in on us? Because they will. Locking the door won't help. 'Kashi can pick locks."

He wanted to swear vengeance on the bastards.

But even so, aggravating as it was, he endured. Somehow.

But for someone who had never had a particularly large amount of patience, he was about ready to break.

And that wasn't even the end of it.

"Oi, Uchiha brat, how much longer till this plan 'o yours is put into action?" Jiraiya grunted as he maneuvered around a bottle of sake, heating it up on the stove.

Sasuke was sitting on one end of the couch, attempting to read. He hadn't gotten very far, for all of the attempts he had made, since Kakashi and Jiraiya had arrived not an hour after he had gotten home. "Be patient, I'm working on it."

Naruto tilted his head, blue eyes fixed on the scowling brunet across the couch from where he sat. Sasuke didn't seem like the super patient type, which is why, Naruto suspected, Sasuke was developing that strange tick in his eye.

"Hmph. I'm really starting to doubt that, brat," Jiraiya muttered, impatiently waiting for his sake to warm up.

"Almost makes one wonder if Uchiha is doing anything at all," Kakashi nearly sing-songed from his place in the cushy (recently purchased) chair by the balcony doors.

That tick in Sasuke's eye intensified. "I've been a little busy. I do something during the day most people identify as _work_. And as much as I'd like to devote myself to being a lazy bum like everyone else in this room, I, as an Uchiha, pride myself on being industrious."

"Hey," Naruto pouted. "I'm industrious."

"Reading all day and pigging out on ramen is not being industrious."

"I do other things. I'm very good at spending your money," Naruto nodded wisely. "This place has gotten much nicer since I moved in," Naruto nodded. He indicated over his shoulder, to where a new bookshelf had joined the others, now nearly full. A new gleaming picture of ramen with the kanji for "Live to eat" sprawling down the side hung against the back wall just above the displayed katana.

Sasuke glared over the edge of his book. "You must be so proud. You're heaping full of class."

Naruto grinned cheekily. Then the last part hit his ears, and he pouted. "Jerk."

"Hmm, Naru-chan has another job he fulfills during the night time, though, ne?" Kakashi chimed in, peeking over his book with a mischievous look.

_Here it comes_, Sasuke thought. Every day, it was the same. This subject never failed to breach. These two really were perverts.

And he wasn't just saying that because their favorite topic of conversation, it was obvious in the way he could practically hear them pressed up again his and Naruto's bedroom door at night, listening for any naughty sounds that might make it through the wood. Or the way their eyes followed them when he got particularly close to Naruto, or how they watched when Sasuke followed Naruto off to bed or the bath.

They were waiting for something smutty to happen. He shuddered to think what they'd do with that knowledge should they accomplish their goal and get it.

And in the meantime, they'd always be sure to bring the topic up.

Naruto's face promptly reddened while Sasuke smirked, letting his book at last fall to rest on his lap, giving up all further attempts at reading. If that's what they wanted, then so be it. He would always come out on top anyway (literally in Naruto's case). "Indeed he does, and he does it well."

"Sa-Sasuke!" Naruto shrieked. "You're giving them too much information! They're perverts, remember! Don't encourage them!"

"Come on, brat! Share the wealth!" Jiraiya shouted from his place by the stove, as he glared at the slowly heating sake.

"It's _not _something I wanna talk about, and it's none of your business! Jeez, we've had this discussion before," Naruto grumbled.

"But it is precisely since we got no useful information that we're having this conversation again," Jiraiya intoned wisely.

"Hai, Hai," Kakashi agreed.

"Well, too bad. Now drop it!" And Naruto picked up his book again, burying his face in the pages in an attempt to ignore them.

"Ah! Finally! Time to get drunk!" was the only reply from the kitchen. Soon Jiraiya was settled in the middle of the couch, separating the two lovers, cheerfully pouring himself a cup and gulping down the hot alcohol.

Naruto frowned at him, readjusting his position on the couch.

"Really, though, brat. I'm sure your father would want us to know all the juicy- er, relevant information, so we know you're being well cared for," the old man began, using that same old excuse before downing the sake in his cup. He turned to Naruto and grinned. "If you're so _industrious, _how about telling us _how_ industrious you are?" And he wiggled his brows suggestively.

Naruto gaped at his book. "Hell no. My sex life is none of your concern. And I'm _positive_ tou-chan wouldn't want to know the detailed information you perverts relish in."

"We're only looking out for you, Naru-chan. Like sensei would have wanted," Kakashi replied, trying to look as innocent as possible while still stifling a perverted giggle.

Naruto frowned at the silver-haired man. "No! Now drop it or we're kicking you out for the night!"

"Aw, but Naru-chan!" Kakashi crowed mischievously.

"Brat, you can't kick us out! You owe us after running out on us like that, makin' us worry," Jiraiya added as he flipped through channels on the TV and sipped his sake. "Oi, Uchiha, which are the channels with the naked women."

A dark brow rose elegantly. "You're watching the TV in the home of two gay men. Obviously, there aren't any."

Naruto thought Jiraiya was going to have a stroke from the dismayed look on his face. He could almost see his soul escaping out of the old man's mouth.

"I may owe you, but that doesn't mean I should have to put up with you two being super perverts in my home," Naruto muttered. "Ne, Sasuke?"

"Ah. If we want to kick you out, we have every right." If only he could actually follow through. But somehow, he didn't want to test if Kakashi could really pick locks or not. For a moment, he thought on the feasibility of a security system. But no, by the time anyone responded it'd be too late. And it might upset Naruto if Sasuke got them thrown in jail.

"Maa, maa," Kakashi crooned. "Let's not be hasty. Eh, Jiraiya-sama? Are you not feeling well?"

"No naked women…" the old man muttered. Naruto rolled his eyes.

"If you don't like it, you're welcome to go elsewhere. I bought this place for Naruto, not for you two," Sasuke scowled.

"We're just anxious for Naru-chan to have what's his again, and for things to go back to normal. As… _grateful_ as we are to you," Naruto could almost pick out the sarcasm in Kakashi's voice, "Naru-chan doesn't belong here."

Sasuke sighed irritably and picked up his book again. "That, I would think, would be Naruto's decision. And just because he gets what's his back, doesn't mean he'll necessarily have a place to belong. It might become just the opposite."

Naruto cast a long glance at Sasuke, his expression blank. Even Kakashi grew silent.

"No naked women…" Jiraiya muttered again in anguish.


	61. Chapter 61

Next chapter, I promise, we get back to actual plot. So in the meantime, I hope you enjoy the return of smut!

Disclaimer: me no own

Warnings: SMUT, unbeta'd

* * *

It was getting late, and he vaguely wondered where Jiraiya and Kakashi were. Surely they should be here by now?

Not that he was too anxious for their arrival. He could tell, after all, how increasingly irritated Sasuke was becoming. Kakashi and Jiraiya were over all the time; they barely left. They stayed the night every night, one of them always just on the other side of their door, supposedly asleep on the couch.

They had tried to have sex, once, in the middle of the night when they were certain the two guests had to be sound asleep, but even then, they could hear the _pawing _at the door, the sounds of two perverts eaves-dropping.

Naruto sighed. It had been too long since he and Sasuke had had sex. Too long since they had relished in each other's presence. Lying in Sasuke's arms was always nice, but Naruto had always been the kind to want to be shown heaping amounts of affection. Sasuke was like a brick wall when it came to emotions that weren't irritation and anger, so sex was a nice way of confirming Sasuke cared.

Not to mention it felt good, or, er, great rather.

And he missed it. He wanted to be touched. He wanted to be wanted and caressed and… well… He went red at the naughty images in his head. If anyone had ever asked him just a year ago if he ever thought he'd willingly submit to someone, he would have punched them in the face and called them a bastard, then promptly told them to fuck off.

Which reminded him, there was that one time Kiba had said something like that, at which point he did punch the dog-lover, called him a bastard and stormed off. (Kiba had then yelled after him, "So damn prissy, Fox Face!")

_(Speaking of Kiba, I really need to call him…_ Naruto thought briefly before his mind returned to other matters.)

But now, here he was, actually wanting, _craving _to submit to someone. But then, Sasuke did have the dominant sort of personality. He couldn't imagine Sasuke ever submitting to anyone. And the thought of being dominated… kinda turned him on…

_Gah, knock it off! You're starting to sound like those two damn perverts! _Naruto scolded himself. He ceased his train of thought and redoubled his concentration on his book. He'd been on the same page for over half an hour now, waiting for the door bell to ring.

_Any minute now, they'll be back_.

He held back a despairing groan and focused back on his book.

He had barely turned the page (_finally!_) when the door opened.

Automatically, Naruto felt his shoulders stiffen. _They're back_.

He bit his lip and waited for the onslaught. But the silence dragged on, almost stifling. He was tempted to turn around, find out what the deal was, but he instead let his eyes slip shut and reveled in the few more moments of silence. It was a nice change, reminded him of when it was just him and Sasuke…

The sounds of light footsteps making their way closer across the hardwood floor filled his ears, then he felt the air shift as someone approached behind him on the other side of the sofa. Then the smell hit him, and his eyes shot open.

_Sasuke's smell…_

Naruto cast his eyes upward, and they met with a pair of dark obsidian orbs, focused on him. Naruto gulped from the intense look in them. He knew that look… _Lust_…

It had been far too long since he had last indulged in that look in his lover's eyes.

"S-Sasuke. O-Okaeri," he murmured, his voice coming out much lower, much more husky than he had anticipated. A lazy smirk sprawled its way across Sasuke's lips. Languidly, the dark-haired man leaned over, and soon his lips were pressing firmly against Naruto's, and a fleeting thought stuck the blond.

_Finally, some alone time._

Before realizing, his hand had meandered it's way away from the book and into the raven locks, pulling Sasuke closer, his lips parting, hoping to deepen the kiss. Sasuke was quick to comply, and soon a moan of pleasure escaped before Naruto could stop it.

It had been too long.

He wanted this so badly. He _needed _it.

Without wasting time, Sasuke began unbuttoning his shirt and fluidly jumped over the sofa, quickly pressing into Naruto's waiting body. Naruto was starting to sweat from the heat- from his own body, and from the heat of the man pressing into him. He could feel Sasuke's hardness and felt his own member stir happily in response. His arms wrapped around his lover, pulling him in ever closer.

He wanted it _now._

Soon Naruto could feel himself being stripped of his sweater, glad to part with it, aggravated at having to pull away from those enticing kisses for even a second. Cold hands slipped lower, unbuttoning his pants and quickly shoving them downward, and soon Naruto was laid bare on the sofa, flat on his back, his legs parting seemingly of their own volition.

He wasn't sure how much longer he could wait. He was ready to burst.

The feel of fingers prodding against his entrance greeted him, and he spread his legs further, ready. One long finger slipped in, then another. He tried to stifling his moans of pleasure, but soon gave up. He didn't care anymore who heard him. He wouldn't have cared if Jiraiya and Kakashi were in the room standing over them, all he knew was he wanted it, and he wanted it _now_.

Sasuke soon granted his wish. Naruto gulped as he felt the tip prodding his entrance, and excitement filled him.

The doorbell rang.

Naruto swore, the excitement vanishing as though it was never there.

Sasuke smirked, dark lust filled eyes staring down at the flushed, very willing blond. He wasn't ready to give up just yet. He leaned back down over his blond, lips pressing against the tanned neck, sucking and licking. Naruto squirmed.

"Mn, Sa-suke,' Kashi and Jira'r here," Naruto mumbled, trying, and failing, to push him away.

"Don't worry," Sasuke replied, never ceasing his ministrations.

"'Kashi might pick the lock," Naruto muttered. Somewhere in the back of his muddled mind, he remembered what they were capable of, after all.

"Don't... worry," Sasuke said between kisses. "But we should probably try to make this quick. Don't know how long they can hold them." And in one swift motion, he drove inside Naruto's waiting body. Naruto bit his lip, stifling the cry of mixed pleasure and pain.

_It hadn't been that long, had it? So why did it hurt this much?_

But the time for thinking was short. The doorbell rang again, and Naruto held back another moan. Sasuke wasted not a moment, but continued his motions, filling the blond to the brim and pulling back out, the rhythm repeating. Naruto's insides were burning. The pain was gone, and only the pleasure remained, pushing him further and further over the edge. He couldn't hear the doorbell anymore, if it was still ringing. He couldn't tell if they were knocking at the door or not, or if that was talking he could vaguely hear on the other side of the door.

All that mattered was Sasuke. Sasuke on top of him, Sasuke inside of him, Sasuke filling him and pleasuring him.

Sasuke's lips were on his again, stifling the moans Naruto could no longer hold back. The tension was building, that heat in his belly he hadn't felt in a while, and it burst, his vision going white, stars dancing happily before his eyes. Then he felt that familiar heat filling him, and he knew Sasuke had followed.

They pulled apart, Naruto panting and sweaty.

Then he heard the knocking and the arguing. _Huh, so I hadn't imagined that, _he thought hazily.

Sasuke pulled away and was soon rebuttoning his pants and then his shirt. "Better hurry, dobe. I'm going to have to open the door soon."

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Naruto replied. His mind was finally coming back from the scattered spaces it had just come to occupy. Quickly he stood and retreated to the bedroom, grabbing his discarded clothing along the way.

"I'll be back out in just a bit," Naruto said, and he closed the door behind him, a grin on his face.


	62. Chapter 62

Finally, we get moving back on the plot, heading towards punishing those mean Namikazes! Yatta! This chapter introduces some fun new characters (not that they're actually "new" per se), and you all get a little more detail on the plan. Hopefully it's better explained this time.

(Heh, i have over 1500 reviews for this story ^_^. Thank you all, I'm sorry I haven't been replying. Since fanfic won't let me go directly to a reply from the email anymore, i've been too lazy to go in and reply through the actual website)

Warnings: unbeta'd

Disclaimer: nope, still don't own, even at 62 chapters of this thing...

* * *

Sasuke had hired a lawyer. Well, to be accurate, a _team_ of lawyers. But really, "team" wasn't quite the word for it either. It was a pair, a "set", so to speak, of lawyers. Two lawyers, to figure out how the hell the Namikazes had gotten away with taking anything and everything that was supposed to belong to _him_ at his father's death.

A team of lawyers that were currently sitting on the couch in his apartment, bickering with each other.

Naruto tilted his head slightly to the side as he studied them with curious blue eyes. They looked professional enough. It was a man and a woman, and both were dressed very professionally, superbly business- like. The woman, who had long blond hair in a high pony-tail, wore a gray skirt-suit, a simple white top under the gray jacket. She had on golden earrings which glittered with colorful jewels, and she had a tasteful color lipstick, rather than a bright red, which Naruto was getting the feeling she would ordinarily wear when not on official business- she seemed like the type to be higly fashionable and a little more than a bit flashy.

The man, on the other hand, though wearing a black suit set, was wearing it as sloppily as possible without looking like he had just come off the street. His hair, too, was set in a high, dark-haired pony-tail, and Naruto stifled a laugh at the match with the woman. His hair, of course, was short, almost pineapple like, in how it stuck up. He wasn't the best looking guy, by any means (that reward obviously went to Sasuke), but he had an intelligent look in his bored, brown eyes. He sat with his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned back on the white couch, like he was ready for a nap. The woman sat up straight, legs crossed, as she glared at her associate.

Sasuke cleared his throat, and all eyes turned to him. "Allow me to introduce you all. Naruto, these are the lawyers regularly used by my family's company, hence they are the best. This is," and he indicated to the woman, "Yamanako Ino," she grinned back at them. He moved his hand toward the lazy-looking man, "and Nara Shikamaru." He motioned toward his blond. "This is Uzumaki Naruto."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Naruto replied, bowing respectfully. He had been taught manners, after all, and he somehow felt this was a situation that called for them. He tried to forget what he and Sasuke had done on that couch just a little while ago though.

Yamanaka Ino laughed.

"He's so cute," she grinned again. Sasuke glared at her. Nara Shikamaru sighed heavily.

"Not gonna introduce us?" Jiraiya growled at Sasuke.

He shrugged.

"Um, those are my, uh... old friends of my dad," Naruto muttered, trying to find the right words.

"Hatake Kakashi," Kakashi introduced himself, bowing slightly.

"Call me Jiraiya, hmm?" the old man leered at the blond woman. She looked at him with barely hidden disgust.

"Uh, sure," she replied slowly. "So," she turned back to the Uchiha and his lover, "how about we talk business."

Sasuke nodded. "I've already explained the basics of the job, and I've told them your general situation," Sasuke said, speaking mostly to Naruto. "They will be looking into everything for us, doing all of the work. Once they find out what we need to know, we'll make our move. They'll be serving as the go-betweens."

Naruto nodded. He wasn't really big on how all this was going to work, but he was pretty sure he could leave it all up to Sasuke.

"So, little lady, you're a lawyer, huh?" Jiraiya beamed at her, trying to get closer. She eyed him carefully, trying to edge away. Shikamaru yawned.

"So, these two are the lawyers used by your family's company, hmm?" Kakashi asked, watching them both skeptically.

"Yes," Sasuke replied. "They may not look it, but they are the best. Nara Shikamaru is the one behind most of the work when it comes to research. He's a genius." All eyes turned to him. To hear an Uchiha refer to someone else as a genius really meant a lot, after all. "As for Yamanaka, when she's got all the facts Nara collects, she's unstoppable. No one can beat her in an argument."

"Not even you, Uchiha?" Kakashi murmured.

Sasuke ignored him.

Yamanaka nodded cheerfully while Nara casually began lazily picking out the wax in his ears. Naruto glanced wearily at the man. Yamanaka's smile lessened and she sighed.

"You have nothing to worry about, Uzumaki-san," Yamanaka said, forcing back her cheerful smile again after having caught his weary look. "He might not look it, but Shika really is the best at finding out all sorts of great information. It doesn't matter how obscure it might be, if it will help our case, he'll find it, and find a way to make it fit to our advantage. And once he does," and she took on an almost feral look, "I'll step in."

He shuddered to think what exactly that meant, but he nodded anyway.

"So, uh, what exactly are they supposed to be looking for?" Naruto inquired. He still didn't get it, what all this lawyer business was supposed to be about. Why did he need a lawyer, or, in this case, two? What were they supposed to do? How were they supposed to help?

"Basically, their job is to find out how the Namikaze's managed to claim everything legally, and find a loophole," Sasuke replied, arms crossed as he shrugged. "At that point, we'll be able to go around whatever they did and counter-attack."

"C-Counter attack?" Naruto muttered in question.

"Hmm... I supposed that's a good enough plan. For an Uchiha, I'd figured it would be a better plan, but..." Kakashi muttered loud enough for Sasuke to hear. Dark eyes glared at the eerily cheerful masked man.

"That's not all," Sasuke replied, attempting to hold back a glare. "I'm not a lawyer, let them explain it."

At that Yamanaka smiled. "Don't worry. It's a full-proof plan, even if it does sound simple. But that's why it's a great plan, ne?"

Nara yawned. "It might sound simple," he said in a drawl, "but it's going to be difficult. What a pain."

"Can it. Just do your job. And don't be such a slob about it this time," Yamanaka scolded.

Nara shrugged.

"When you say 'counter-attack'…" Naruto began again.

"First we have to find the loop-hole. We have to figure out how Uzumaki-san's relatives managed to push you out of your father's will," the woman began, "then, we can figure out a way to get around it. A loop-hole. Once we do that, we can actively begin to undo whatever they did, and get everything that was yours back. Sa-, ah, I mean, Uchiha-san," Sasuke made an irritated sound, as all eyes landed on him briefly, "has expressed the wish to, ah-"

"'Demolish', I believe, was the word he used," Nara added in, though for all intents and purposes, he seemed to be sound asleep.

"Ah, yes, _demolish_, the Namikaze family, from that point we will be able to counter them, and use this whole incident to tarnish their reputation."

Naruto frowned. "I'm not sure," he glanced at Sasuke, "I want to go quite that far."

"Of course you do, dobe. We've had this conversation before. But we'll worry about that once we get there."

"I guess," Naruto frowned.

"I have a question," Kakashi began, hand raised in the air. "Yamanaka-san, you were about to call Uchiha 'Sasuke', were you not?"

"Ah, gomenasai. In truth, I was a proud member of the Uchiha Sasuke-sama fan club up until a few months ago."

"F-Fan club?" Naruto choked.

Sasuke looked irritated. "Let's not waste time on unnecessary matters when there is business to attend to, hm?"

"Ah? May I ask why you are no longer a member?" Kakashi continued, ignoring Sasuke, and looking far too amused for comfort.

Yamanaka frowned. "Well, he turned down my best friend… shot her down in flames, you might say, and then…" She cast a long glance at Naruto, "We became aware that he… was on the other team. At least half the fan club dispersed in tears."

Naruto gaped. Sasuke looked disinterested in the matter. Kakashi was holding back a giggle-fit (and failing). Jiraiya was too busy trying to touch her hair to be paying attention, and Nara was snoring.

Somehow, Naruto didn't feel too confident at the moment, and he held back a sigh of despair. Was this really going to work?

But then again, did he really want it to work?


	63. Chapter 63

I'm lazy. And I have to work today. Urg.

Warnings: unbeta'd

Disclaimer: still don't own

* * *

The details, it seemed, were unimportant. Or at least, no one felt Naruto needed to be made aware of them.

Nara and Yamanaka apparently were to be left to handle the small stuff, as the lawyers, and Naruto was left to wonder what exactly was going on and if he even had any say in the matter. A quick glance at the nearly sadistic grin on Sasuke's face (Naruto quickly decided it was best not to tell Sasuke just how much like Itachi he looked at the moment), and Naruto knew Sasuke wasn't going to let him get out of it. He was enjoying it all too much.

And he knew, too, that Kakashi and Jiraiya (Jiraiya later when he wasn't too busy trying to flirt with the pretty blonde) were happy with the course of events, were absolutely delighted with the idea of the Namikazes getting what was coming to them. They were certain the Namikaze family had to pay for what they did to Naruto, and should be made to suffer for it.

Naruto, for his part, was still quiet, still unsure if he really wanted to _destroy_ the Namikazes. He could understand why everyone thought he should want to, but still… they were his family. To him, no one was more important than family. And these were his _father's_ family. As much as he loved his father, he couldn't imagine not caring about his father's family, too.

It was beyond him, really, how the Namikaz's had done this to him to begin with. It was inconceivable family would do that to family.

He glanced back at the group who were all still conversing about the case at hand. They were all still chatting, Nara apparently still asleep on their couch, but no one was discussing the details on how they were going to undo the Namikazes. They were more focused on how they were going to go about it, and what kinds of torment they could visit upon the Namikazes in the process.

"Well, once we find the way to get around whatever these people did," Yamanaka was saying, "it should be a simple matter to undo it. We'll get back, _legally_, everything taken, and then we'll turn it all around on them. It should be fun," she grinned.

"As soon as you find out how they did it and begin to undo it, I want it to go public," Sasuke mused. "I want it in every newspaper and as the head story on the news. I'll have to talk to Itachi about that. I'm sure he'll be pleased. He does enjoy demoralizing people in public."

"Won't that be a shock to the Namikazes," Kakashi smirked behind his mask.

Jiraiya, having finally heard something worthy of paying attention to besides the pretty blonde girl, finally turned his attention back to the discussion. "They do love being seen in a good light in the public eye." He smirked. "And after the big deal they made about Minato's death, for that to come back and bite them in the ass…" and he began to chuckle darkly.

Naruto frowned, remembering all the news reports about his father's death, all the times he saw the Namikazes speaking about how much they missed his father, how proud they were of him, everything that they had said about his father that had been obvious lies. He even recalled an incident where they spoke about his father not having any heirs…

How had they been able to erase him so easily?

"Well, they'll still be in the public eye, but it won't be in a good light," Sasuke smirked.

"Ah, lovely. I can't wait," Kakashi sighed.

"Hmmm," Jiraiya agreed, imagining the scene.

"We'll have to concentrate on timing, as well. We'll have to work everything together so they won't be able to fight us. We'll need to be completely prepared before we make this public. Before we make Naruto public," Sasuke continued to muse.

"Eh? Me?" Naruto asked, finally entering into the discussion at the sound of his name.

"Of course. In the end, it's basically you against them. They took everything from you, and you'll be the one getting everything back."

"That's right, brat. You're the focal point in all of this," Jiraiya agreed.

"You and your relationship to your father is what everything is about," Kakashi added.

Suddenly everyone was staring at him as he stood there, eyes going from one face to another. They really expected him to do this…

Naruto bit his lip nervously. He turned blue eyes back to Sasuke, pleading with him. He really wasn't sure he could do this, not to family, no matter how horrible they had been to him.

Sasuke sighed. "Give us a minute," he stated, then grabbed his blond's arm and pulled him into the bedroom, shutting the door behind them.

Naruto slowly made his way to the bed and sat down, gaze focused on his feet on the hardwood floor.

"Explain to me why you're so against this."

Naruto looked up and began fiddling with his hands on his lap. He bit his lip and furrowed his brow, trying to figure how best to put it into words.

He decided to start as far back as he could remember.

"I told you before, but my mother died giving birth to me. The only things I know about her are what I heard from my dad, from Jiraiya and from Kakashi. Oh, and Tsunade-baachan. But I could always tell how much my father loved her. He used to also tell me about my mother's family, but he never really told me anything about his own family, and I never pushed. I just figured it wasn't something he wanted to talk about, and I guess I figured it was too painful for him, that maybe they weren't around anymore. Jiraiya and Kakashi and baa-chan never mentioned them, so I didn't really think about it.

"But when dad died… And then they suddenly appeared. When I finally heard that I did still have family… My first hope was that they'd want to be part of my life, not ruin it. And I guess that hope, that connection of both being related to my father who I loved so much, I guess I'm still clinging to that, hoping that they still want to be a family with me."

Sasuke opened his mouth, but Naruto pushed on.

"I know it's stupid. I know after everything they've done I shouldn't want to have anything to do with them, since they've made it abundantly clear they want nothing to do with me. I even get it that it has to do with my mother, but still… I can't give up. Family is family, and if we ruin them, won't that also ruin my chances to be family with them one day?"

Naruto looked up, blue eyes pleading for Sasuke to understand him, to sympathize with his feelings.

Dark eyes closed in concentration, brows furrowing as Sasuke took his time to organize his thoughts. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes and took a careful seat beside Naruto, the bed shifting with the added weight.

"Naruto… I understand what you're saying. But what I don't think you're fully realizing is, from what I've gathered, from you and from Jiraiya and Kakashi, and from the things I've discovered on my own and with Itachi's" (he wanted to say _snooping_ or _butting in_) "_assistance_, I think it's clear the idea of becoming a family with you is…" He looked at Naruto, into those intoxicating blue eyes he loved so much, and he hated himself for having to say it, for having to cause pain to shine through them, and he didn't want to have to say the word on the tip of his tongue- _repulsive._ So he said instead,"It's never going to happen. They won't let you."

Naruto pursed his lips and turned away. He swallowed thickly.

"But honestly, dobe, you don't need them,'" he continued, his voice taking a bit of a harder tone. He really despised those bastards for making him add to the pain they had already bestowed on his blond idiot. "You have those two idiots out in the living room who would do anything to protect you, you have that old drunkard Tsunade," and his voice took a softer tone, "And you have me."

Naruto looked at him, eyes slightly damp.

"I want to do this, not just to make them pay, but I want them see what they're missing. By dismissing you as unworthy, just because your father married someone they didn't approve of for selfish reasons… they don't deserve you, Naruto. I want to show them how unworthy _they _are_._ And I want to make sure you have everything you deserve. But if I could give them to you as your family, I would. In a second. But it's not going to happen, and you need to accept that. They aren't worth your time, and you need to stop letting them cause you more pain.

"So leave this to us. No one is asking you to fight them yourself, we'll do that for you. All you need to do is not stand by and let it keep happening."

Naruto rubbed at his eyes, feeling pathetic and helpless and weak. He heated that feeling.

And Sasuke decided to add one more thing. "You do realize, don't you, they didn't do this just for the money or prestige of being related to Namikaze Minato, they did it to punish you. But no one can help what parents they're born to, even if some of us want to."

Naruto blinked up at Sasuke at that last line, briefly wondering what Sasuke could mean by that. But he let it pass, took a deep breath, and nodded.

Sasuke really cared about him. He had given him so much, never really asked for anything in return (the sex was willingly given after all), and he still wanted to give Naruto everything else in the world.

So he decided. He would let Sasuke do this for him, he would fight what was left of his family. He wouldn't give up on the thought that maybe, someday, they would accept him, but if he kept letting them take everything away, he was never going to get close enough to be judged worthy by them. If he fought them, he could regain what he had lost, and have the chance to gain them as a family. He still wanted that, but as he looked up at Sasuke, whose obsidian orbs were still drilling into him, what he wanted most in that moment and every moment after, was to make Sasuke happy, and if that would be allowing him to do this for him, then he'd do it. Because Sasuke, since they met, had been a better family to him than the Namikazes could ever dream of being.

So he smiled faintly and nodded once, and Sasuke leaned down and kissed him gently, but Naruto could sense the small smirk of victory.

"Then let's show them," Sasuke murmured.

Naruto nodded again, and they got up and returned to the living room and resumed planning.


	64. Chapter 64

Alright, here we go. An important note this chapter, or rather, I suppose it's a sort of warning. Unfortunately, I have been a supremely lazy bum and haven't written anything in a long while. In other words, next week's update is likely to be the last for a while. Hopefully, I'll be able to get my ass back in gear now that the summer semester is over, but I'll be working full-time plus over-time, so we'll have to see how it goes. With any luck, next week won't be the last yet, but we'll have to see. Hopefully I'll be able to give you all a better idea of if there's gonna be a pause or not next week. Sorry!

Warnings: unbeta'd

Disclaimer: don't own

* * *

Naruto was wrapped up in a blanket on the sofa, his eyes glued to the TV. There was something about ninjas playing, an old drama in black and white, and he watched as a lone figure clad in black slunk through a bamboo forest, edging his way closer to the manor in the background where his target lay.

It was a tense moment, a guard approaching from the right, a samurai who seemed to sense something amiss, body tense as he glanced around, hand placed on the hilt of his katana. He waited a moment, eyes darting to and fro, intent and cautious, but then he moved on, and the lone ninja took a cautious step forward, then dashed across the way, the samurai's back to him.

Then he was wandering through the dark corridors, casting a glance behind him, forward, a creak in the floorboards around the corner and he paused, sensed someone approaching, heard the wind rustle and the floorboards creaked again, and the ninja placed a hand on the wakizashi(1) at his waist. Naruto sat forward, eyes wide, the sword inched apart from the sheath and…

PIN-PON!(2)

And Naruto jumped, spell broken, and he glared at the door.

Who dared to annoy him in the middle of such a tense moment, the nerve!

He glanced at the screen, noted the ninja had taken care of the threat and moved on and he had missed the good part, groaned in annoyance, and got up to answer the door, which was now ringing more fervently.

Whoever was on the other side was clearly not going to allow him to enjoy the show. What a waste.

He stomped over, a pout firmly on his face, and pulled the door open. There stood Jiraiya, clad in his usual style, a box under one shoulder while the pointer finger of his other was still fixed firmly on the door bell.

Naruto glared. "Whaddya want, Ero-Sennin?"

The grin on Jiraiya's face fell off, and he took his finger off the door bell and smacked the blonde's head firmly. "Is that any way to speak to the person who's brought ya a gift, brat?"

"Gift?" Naruto pouted, rubbing his now sore head. "I have lotsa money now, I don't need you bringing me gifts. Especially not the kind you usually give me," Naruto stated wearily.

"Ah, but this one isn't something you can buy," Jiraiya grinned slyly. "Come on, let me in and I'll show you, then you can lavish me with praise and adoration for bringing you something so irreplaceable!"

"You're not making any sense, you know," Naruto muttered, but he moved aside so the older man could wander in, kick off his geta, and meander over to the couch, collapsing onto it and making himself comfortable.

"Come on, brat! Time's wasting!" Jiraiya called back to him.

Naruto sighed and shut the door, then wandered back to his former seat. He glanced at the TV, realized that he no longer knew what was going on, and sat down in defeat. "Alright, what is it?"

"Geez, no need to sound so excited," Jiraiya grumbled as he set the box down between them on the couch. "Oh, and if Kakashi asks, I forgot to invite him."

"Huh?" Naruto questioned, but Jiraiya wasn't listening, and had opened the box. Naruto looked down into it, blinking at the contents. "It's just a bunch of papers," Naruto muttered. "That's all you wanted to show me?"

Jiraiya smacked him again. "Don't you know what this is, brat? These aren't just a bunch of random papers, these…" and he reverently pulled out a cheap, Hyaku-en(3) store composition book from the pile and shoved it in Naruto's face. When he began again, his voice was softer. "Your father, you know, he was worried. A lot of things had been bothering him. A lot of dangerous threats were being made. He got a little paranoid for a bit there. He actually asked me to take care of what he considered his most important documents… His drafts."

"D-Drafts?" Naruto asked, looking with renewed interest at the pile of papers that filled the box. Carefully, he took the composition book from Jiraiya and opened it, flipping through the pages carefully.

"These are all ideas he had, or stories he had planned to write or started and hadn't finished. In this box, is your father's unfinished work, and I'm sure, he'd be proud for you to finish them, Naruto."

Naruto looked up at Jiraiya wide-eyed, then looked again at the contents of the box. TV forgotten, he carefully went through the box, pulled out draft after draft, notes and ideas in composition books, printed maps and research materials, and three 8GB jump drives, which he could only imagine what was on them.

"Jiraiya…" Naruto began, awed.

"Yeah, it's something, huh? Aren't you glad I stopped by?"

Naruto laughed. "I guess you can come around every once in a while without being an annoyance."

"Oi…" Jiraiya grumbled. "Anyways, these at least, the Namikazes didn't get their hands on, heh."

Naruto nodded, realizing that what Jiraiya said was true. In his hands he now had something of his father's the Namikazes hadn't taken away, something they hadn't soiled, something they probably didn't even know about.

And it was valuable, too. Maybe the Namikazes had figured Minato would have drafts and things, but they might have just assumed he didn't, or it was all lost in the fire when they couldn't find them. The Namekazes knew of Jiraiya's closeness to Minato, but they probably wouldn't have figured Minato would entrust these precious things to the old pervert, or maybe they would assume Minato hadn't had time to do such a thing.

But these drafts, the last, unfinished works of Namikaze Minato would be worth a lot if they suddenly surfaced.

And these drafts were something that he was positive his father wanted him to have, and was glad that he had now. And so, Naruto decided, he was going to make the most of it.

He had been thinking about it for a while now, that he spent every day doing nothing. He could do whatever he wanted, but he wasn't being productive. He remembered before, when his father was still alive, he had spent every day busy. He'd go to class, then go to work at his part time job, then he'd go home and do homework. And then the next day he'd do it all again.

As much as he enjoyed spending his days reading, or watching TV, or just doing nothing much at all, he felt like he should be doing _something_, and even though he didn't need the money, he had recently thought about getting a job. But he hadn't forgotten how hard a time he'd had before, when he lost his job and had tried to get another. The Namikazes really wanted him to suffer, so he had difficulty finding anyone willing to hire him. Somehow, he had a feeling the Namikazes would find out if he tried again, and thwart him still, but Sasuke would help him.

But he didn't really want to go that route.

But now, with this box before him, he knew exactly how he would spend his days from now on. His new goal… finish his father's work.

* * *

(1) short sword companion of a katana

(2)For those of you who don't know, this is the sound effect they use in Japan to signal the sound of a doorbell ringing. I figured, this takes place in Japan, why not use it? ^_^

(3) Essentially, a Dollar store (yeah, they have those in Japan, but of course, they're Hyaku en, or 100 yen, rather than $1). I don't know if the Japanese have a way of referring to them, so this is what I'm gonna call them (cuz using Japanese is fun)


	65. Chapter 65

So, I haven't written anything else in the past week. I wrote a few paragraphs the other day, but not enough for a new chapter. So it looks like I probably won't be updating next week. I'll try to see about writing some more, but I would kinda like to finish the little arc before posting any more, so we'll have to see how long that takes. I'll try to write this weekend, but I make no promises, and with work taking up so much of my time, it makes it a little harder. But I really will try! Sorry!

Also, I'm glad you so many of you were pleased with the idea of Naruto continuing his father's books. It's an idea I had practically from the beginning, so I'm glad it's worked well.

I'm not exactly one hundred percent happy with this chapter, but It's currently 2:49am and I have to work later. I really should be in bed and I can't think enough to go back and work on it. I'l just have to go back another time and make it better. Sorry if it really super sucks.

Warnings: Itachi-ness, unbeta'd

Disclaimer: don't own Naruto

* * *

Naruto sat back on the couch, thinking it over.

When he thought on it now, his father had been working on a new book. He was maybe half-way, but what had happened to the rest? It didn't look like Minato's laptop had been saved from the fire, but what about the rest of the book? Could it be on one of these flash drives?

First thing was first, though, Naruto mused. He glanced around the apartment, then turned his attention to the old man sitting beside him flipping through channels. He had made himself at home, laying on the couch haphazardly.

_Well, I can't very well write anything without a computer… _Naruto mused. _And what's Sasuke's money for anyway?_ He added to himself with a grin.

He nodded and got up, getting the notes and papers together back into the box and took it over to the table, setting it down to rest there. Then he searched around for his phone, needing to make a call to Sasuke.

He had never bought a laptop before, and he figured Sasuke would be able to help in deciding the best kind and with what features, and maybe even the best place to go to get one. He wanted something light, but good, dependable. But other than that, he really wasn't sure what else he would need.

Naruto found the phone on the counter and quickly selected Sasuke's number. The line rang.

Jiraiya was mumbling about something or other on the couch when there was an answer, and Naruto could feel his lips turn up in a smile.

"Sasuke?"

"Ah, if it isn't the lovely Naruto-kun," was the unexpected response. His smile fell.

"Eto, Itachi-san?" Why did he have Sasuke's cell phone?

"It's been too long, Naruto-kun, since I've had the pleasure of your company. And Michiru has been too occupied with wedding things so I haven't heard any recent details. How are you?"

"Oh, uh, I'm good. How are you?" Naruto really wanted to ask about Sasuke, but he was getting the feeling Itachi-san was making himself comfortable, ready for a long conversation with his little brother's lover.

"Wonderful, Naruto-kun. I thank you for your kind concern. My dear, sweet little brother certainly got very lucky with you, hm?"

"Ah, eh, y-yeah," Naruto stuttered. He really wanted to speak to Sasuke, but he didn't want to be rude to Itachi-san…

"Ah, but I've had such a busy day today. These people and they're problems. They make it seem as though we Uchiha's don't have our own problems to deal with and have time to listen to their mindless excuses."

"A-are you having a problem right now, Itachi-san?" Naruto asked as he heard Jiraiya laugh about something on the TV.

Itachi sighed on the other end of the line. "My dear, sweet little brother won't talk to me. He's acting as though I offended him, when all I did was offer him a simple gift purely from the love in my heart I hold for him. So ungrateful."

"Uh, w-what kind of gift?" Naruto asked, really wanting to know where Sasuke was.

He could almost hear the smirk on the other end of the line. "Something I thought you both could enjoy together. A one of a kind toy specially designed for the stimulation of the sexual drive, as well as the nice little drug that would have you squirming for hours and hours on end…"

Naruto's face drained of blood, and he was suddenly glad Sasuke wasn't on gift-accepting terms with his brother. He glanced at Jiraiya from the corner of his eye, hoping the old pervert hadn't noticed his reaction.

"The toy also included some nicely drawn diagrams and instructions on how best to use it to the fullest."

"Gah-" Naruto quickly stifled his reaction. He recalled what Sasuke had said once, about not showing weakness in front of his brother. He thought through his response carefully. If he expressed any reaction Itachi could twist as acceptance, the man would be more fervent in getting Sasuke to accept it, and then would think it okay to send _more_. However, he couldn't sound completely ungrateful, or he might make an enemy of Itachi, and _that_ would be disastrous on so many levels.

He pursed his lips and hesitantly began to form an answer into words and spoke them. "It was really… _thoughtful _of you Itachi-san. I'm always… happy to hear how concerned you are about Sasuke, but it really isn't necessary. Just knowing you support us is all the gift we need." Naruto prayed silently whatever crap he had just said would have the desired effect.

There was a moment of silence, then a distinctly happy sigh reached his ears through the phone. "Ah, Naruto-kun, truly you are the only one who understands my deep affection for my dear little brother. Very well, I will continue to support your happiness without the need of gifts, if that is all you desire."

Naruto released the breath he realized he had been holding and smiled. "Um, arigatou, Itachi-san. I am truly happy to have your support."

"Of course you are. I am, after all, Uchiha Itachi. My support is all you need in this world." Naruto tried to fight the feeling of wanting to roll his eyes at the idea. "Though…" And Naruto could feel his hope waning, "I hope you will accept a gift or two if I feel it is particularly… _worthwhile_."

Naruto could feel his eye twitch, and the thought rang again through his head, _where the hell is Sasuke?_ "O-Of course, Itachi-san."

Itachi made a pleased noise through the phone, and Naruto took his chance.

"Um, Itachi-san, if I could just ask, where is Sasuke?"

"Hm? Sasuke is away at the moment, urgent business." The sound of a door slamming, then Naruto could hear something that sounded suspiciously like a low growl followed by Sasuke's raging voice.

"Urgent business my ass. What the hell was that, sending me down to take care of your business Itachi! I'm not your damn slave. If you don't wanna handle your own damn fangirls, send your damn secretary! And what the hell are you doing sitting in my office like it's yours! And who the hell are you talking to? Is that my phone?"

Naruto vaguely wondered if he had ever heard Sasuke talk that much, never mind _yell _that much. But then, this was Itachi Sasuke was currently dealing with.

"Oh, Sasuke, I see you're back," Itachi replied amiably. "I'm just having a pleasant conversation with Naruto-kun."

There were strange noises then, crashes and grunts and something breaking, then Sasuke's voice came on the line, with Itachi mumbling in the background. "Naruto?"

"Ah, hey Sasuke. You… aren't busy are you?" he asked, as the words "no idea… so forceful… sorry for Naruto-kun… good in bed… wild…" drifting in and out, all spoken in Itachi-san's voice. Naruto could feel his face heat up.

"I'm… not busy," Sasuke replied, sounding a bit out of breath. Then the sound of a heavy door slamming shut and a lock being slipped into place, and Sasuke heaved a sigh of relief. "I apologize you had to endure Itachi's sadism for however long you did."

"No, it's alright. It wasn't so bad…" Naruto smiled.

Sasuke grunted. Naruto could picture him leaning against the door he had most likely thrown Itachi out of, one arm across his chest, the other holding the phone. He nearly started drooling at the vision of his attractive lover. "It's not very often that you call me when I'm at work. I don't want Itachi creating bad association with the practice."

Naruto laughed lightly. "It's alright. It really wasn't that bad. I think I managed to convince him to lay off the sex toys as gifts."

Sasuke groaned in exasperation. "Damn him," he muttered. Naruto laughed again. "What did you call for?"

"Oh, that's right. I need a laptop."

"A laptop?" Sasuke repeated.

"Um. Jiraiya came over and brought a box of my dad's writings, all the stuff he hadn't finished and notes and stuff." Naruto felt a smile cross his face. "I'm gonna finish them."

Sasuke was silent a moment, and Naruto could now picture furrowed brows on his lover's face. "You're going to… be a writer?"

"I always wanted to be one. I was getting a degree in Journalism and had a job with a newspaper, remember?"

Sasuke made another sound, but Naruto couldn't quite place it. "I remember."

"Yeah, so now that I have this stuff, stuff my grandfather and them didn't get their hands on, I'm gonna finish my father's work."

"Hmm… So a laptop, hm?"

"Yeah. Thing is, I've never had one before, so I really don't know what I want or what I need. Think you could help?"

Another moment of contemplative silence, and then Sasuke replied. "Don't worry about it. I'll go after I get off work and get something for you. I'll be a little late then, but you'll have something tonight."

"Eh? Is that alright? I can go myself, I just need ideas."

"I said don't worry. I'll handle it."

Naruto smiled. "Thanks Sasuke. Really."

Sasuke grunted. "I know."

Naruto bit his lip, staying silent for just a moment before he felt his cheeks heat up and he said, "Love you."

"Hm. Dobe. I know." There was a knock on the door behind Sasuke. "Gotta go. I'm still at work. I'll see you later."

"Ah, um, yeah," Naruto replied, a slight frown on his face. He wanted to hear it, the words, but he sighed and forced a smile to his face. It was alright, he could go a little longer without. Just because he didn't hear the words didn't mean it wasn't being said in other ways. "I'll see you later!"

And Naruto hung up. He glanced back at Jiraiya, who had apparently gravitated back to the ninja movie Naruto had been watching earlier and was watching intently. It was a three one on battle, three ninja against a samurai.

Naruto smiled and leaned back against the counter. He was getting a laptop, and then… Then he could continue his father's books, and once more he'd have a connection to his father no one else had, or could take away from him.

This was for his father, but, in a way, this was also for himself.

He was looking forward to it.


	66. Chapter 66

I'm back! Yay! I actually meant to post this earlier today, but for some reason the internet wouldn't let me... Don't know if it was the site or just my internet connection...

Anyways, author's notes. Let's see, where to start...

This chapter is a little lengthy compared to most Storms chapters, so enjoy. Sasuke's story goes on for two more chapters. Also, sorry if there's a lot of repetition, I wrote this in three separate documents on several different occassions. I tried to clean it up as best as I could. I also have about three more chapters ready at this current time, but I'll work on adding more.

This year I decided to have an unofficial resolution to write _something_ every day. Whether that _something_ will be on Storms or SA, I make no guarantees, but they are available should they be what I want to work on, and with this, hopefully more chances to write (and subsequently update) will appear.

Furthermore, I have been updating lj more frequently recently (after forever), and am putting up my original stories. If interested, you can pm me and I'd be more than happy to direct you there to read them. The story I am primarily working on happens to be malexmale. As well, I started rewriting my novel and plan to post the new version there.

**Disclaimer:** don't own, and not really up-to-date on the manga...

**Warnings:** Sasuke-related angst, unbea'd

(Also, it's my birthday tomorrow, hence why you're getting an update _now_, rather than later)

* * *

It was a bright, cheerful sort of day, even with snow covering the ground and a chill wind blowing through the air. But it was a crisp breeze, sprightly, and it made Naruto grin in delight as it burned his cheeks a light pink shade.

Mariko-san was wrapped up in an elegant black jacket and a dark green scarf, her dark hair flying with the wind. She, too, seemed to be in a good mood, and Naruto's grin grew larger. He was trailing behind her as they wandered down the street.

She had shown up early, and had asked him if he would like to join her today. She was going to be looking at silverware and tableware for her wedding dinner, and she was hoping he would be able to give his opinion. He had jumped at the chance, excited to spend the day on something fun, and hopefully get those details on Sasuke he was so anxious for.

His new laptop forgotten for the day, as well as the difficult job of figuring out his father's notes and determining where to start, today was about helping Mariko-san, having some fun, and learning as much about Sasuke as possible.

He pursed his lips as a tremor of excitement rang through him. He wanted to know so badly, wanted to know everything and more than everything. No detail left untold. He wanted to be able to say he knew Sasuke better than anyone else in the world! And that started with him wanting to hear anything and everything Mariko-san could tell him.

Naruto took a deep breath and sprinted forward, taking up residence at Mariko-san's side. "Mariko-san, where to first?" he asked.

She smiled. "We'll go straight to work. With any luck, it won't take too long and we can go have a pleasant lunch somewhere."

Naruto nodded fervently. As anxious as he was, as much as he wanted to know, he'd do his best to help Mariko-san first; it was for her wedding after all, a very important occasion. Then, at lunch, he'd ask his questions. He nodded once to himself, decision made, and grinned.

* * *

They were making steady progress, going all around the show room, admiring each and every place setting on display before moving to the next. Mariko-san was holding a clipboard and was making notations as to which settings she was interested in, and Naruto, as they moved from one to the next, would put in his opinion on each, whether he liked it, thought it too showy, or whatever flit through his mind as they went along.

So far they had three that were high on the list, and about four others that they wanted to look at a second time.

"I'm sorry if this isn't the most exciting thing to do, Naruto-san," Mariko began as they moved on to a new set. "My fiancé absolutely hates having to do these things. But then, he's a very busy man, and this can be so tedious."

"Oh, I don't mind. It's actually kinda fun. I've never been able to do anything like this before. Never even been to a wedding, actually," Naruto replied thoughtfully.

"Well, of course you are invited to mine, Naruto-san."

"Eh? Really? Ah, that's amazing! Really?" Naruto exclaimed, nearly jumping up and down in excitement.

Mariko smiled at his enthusiasm. "Of course. Sasuke-sama as well will be there, as will Itachi-sama."

"Itachi-san too? Even though he can't even remember your name?"

She laughed. "It wouldn't be very proper to not invite Itachi-sama. I, for one, would not want to get on his bad side. Have you heard the stories of how scary he can be? Truly frightening," and Naruto nodded as he recalled some horror stories he had heard from Sasuke. "And I really don't mind if he can't remember my name, so long as I don't anger him too much. Frankly, I think it's better this way. He can't always remember my face, either, so I can do certain things and escape punishment because he doesn't realize it's me!"

Naruto burst out laughing, imagining Itachi fuming about something "Mayumi" did, with the actual culprit Mariko-san standing and smiling right in front of him.

"Actually, did Sasuke-sama ever tell you that's how we managed to get you out from the Uchiha manor right under Itachi-sama's nose?"

"Hm? The Uchiha manor? I've never been there…" And his face scrunched up in thought as they moved on to the next set piece.

"Ah, well, you were still unconscious then. Sasuke-sama took you straight there the night you two met. It wasn't until after he found the apartment for you and had me help him get everything settled," she explained.

"Really? I had no idea…" he mused.

She nodded and began going through the whole ordeal, from his arrival to the orders she received from Sasuke to get the place ready to actually moving the blond to the new place.

"Heh. I can imagine Itachi-san must have been pretty pissed."

"Oh, he was. But I think he was more pleased Sasuke-sama had found someone he was actually interested in…"

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"I'm sure Sasuke-sama has told you that much at least, Naruto-san?"

Naruto just looked puzzled.

They paused and Mariko stared at the blond a moment. Then she gave a small smile and moved to the next set.

"Sasuke-sama is a complicated person," she spoke softly.

"That, I get. He's such a prick."

She smiled. "He wasn't always that way. But being a part of the Uchiha family can be difficult. They have certain expectations placed upon them most people don't have."

Naruto blinked at her, wondering if she was going to start answering his questions about Sasuke before he even asked them.

She glanced at him and her smile grew. "With all the difficulty Sasuke-sama has had to deal with, I'm a little surprised he came out as sane as he did."

"Sane?" Naruto recalled that strange look that crossed Sasuke's face every time Itachi-san did something to irritate him, or the way he looked at the two perverts when they were at their perverted peak. Or the way his face hid emotions that weren't irritation and anger, and wondered if all of that could be considered "sane".

And if that was sane, how exactly could Sasuke have turned out?

Then the image of a sadistically grinning/cackling Itachi-san crossed his mind, and he thought he must have stumbled on the answer Mariko-san was implying.

"I see," he grimaced.

She nodded, then a faint smile traced her lips. "Well, first of all, to understand Sasuke-sama, you have to understand the kind of environment and pressures he grew up under. Fortunately, as the younger son, he didn't have quite the obligations and expectations Itachi-sama had, but unfortunately, he still had his own set of expectations to meet.

"I've heard of your situation, and if you had been raised a Namikaze, another family from higher society, you would have a little bit of a better idea what I mean. It wouldn't have been quite the same, the Uchiha's are very high up the social ladder. But you would have an inkling of how difficult it could be, to be an Uchiha. Perfection is expected in everything. Failure intolerable. You have to be refined, talented at everything, perfect at everything. Superior to everyone. Sasuke-sama was expected to be top of his class, to get everything right the first time, to have impeccable manners and complete obedience to his father and elder brother."

"Obedience? To Itachi-san?" Naruto asked, stunned. That… didn't compute. Not with the experiences he had with the two brothers, anyway.

Mariko-san giggled. "Yes, well, that one… didn't work out so well. But really, Itachi-sama brought that upon himself. I don't know if you've realized, I suppose most don't, but Itachi-sama has a bit of a brother complex."

"Eh? _That's_ a brother complex?"

"Yes, it is a little…"

"Masochistic? Sadistic? Both?"

She giggled again. "Itachi-sama comes on a little too strong in a bit of an odd way, so their relationship has turned into what it is."

"No kidding. If that's Itachi-san being a doting older brother, I kinda feel sorry for him. It totally backfired."

"It did. Very much so."

"Can't say I blame Sasuke, though," Naruto continued. "I can understand why Sasuke wouldn't appreciate that form of brotherly love."

"Yes, Itachi-sama isn't very adept at showing how much he cares. But he really has tried. In the end, though, I have to say, I think Itachi-sama's methods might have caused more damage than leaving him be."

"Heh. I'll say," Naruto grimaced.

They went on for a while in silence, concentrating on selecting dinnerware before Mariko spoke again.

"Itachi-sama… really does care a great deal for Sasuke-sama. " Naruto glanced at her as she pursed her lips together. She glanced at him, her dark eyes looking a little hesitant before she spoke again.

"As I have already said, being a member of such a prestigious family has its drawbacks. There were a great many lessons children are taught about upholding the family's honor. When Sasuke-sama was still just a small child, there were many things expected of him that wouldn't be expected of normal children. Itachi-sama, as the eldest, understood his own position and performed well. In a way, I can't help but think he was concerned for Sasuke-sama. Itachi-sama didn't want the pressure to have to be felt by Sasuke-sama as well."

Naruto nodded, thinking about it, trying to imagine what Sasuke must have had to endure, and trying to place Itachi-san in the position Mariko-san was suggesting, as the caring, protective older brother. It was a little weird, to say the least. Itachi-san was so strange, to think of him as a protector when he seemed to be the cause of so many of Sasuke's issues these days, was a little odd.

But at the same time, he could strangely understand it, that all of Itachi-san's little eccentricities when it came to Sasuke were out of a form of brotherly affection. He did seem to go out of his way to do things that, in Itachi-san's twisted mind, could be considered "loving". Naruto realized, in his heart, Itachi really did do it all in the interest of promoting Sasuke's happiness, even if his plans usually went awry.

He smiled a little at the thought.

Sasuke would never buy it.

Mariko-san continued.

"As I was saying, there are many expectations placed upon those who are born into noble families. Expectations are high for the offspring of families such as the Uchiha, and while the highest are placed upon the eldest, the heir, which in this case would be Itachi-sama, Sasuke-sama was not without his burdens as well. For Itachi-sama, he was expected to be the very best, everything he did was placed under a microscope, and he was always being judged. His grades had to be perfect, his demeanor and attitude were to be flawless. Anything and everything he did was to be better than everyone else, spotless. Itachi-sama was expected to be the image of what it was to be an Uchiha, and Itachi-sama has always played his part well. Growing up, I cannot think of a single time Itachi-sama didn't fulfill every desire of his parents in being the best. They were very proud of the perfect specimen of a son they had.

"Of course," and here she smiled a small, almost secret smile, "in some ways, I believe, that perfection might have backfired just a bit."

"Hmm?" Naruto mused, picking up a fork from the next set, admiring it for a moment, then placing it back with its companions.

"Being under such stress, I think, might have led to Itachi-san's… unusual mannerisms and behavior."

"Ah, craziness stems from stress, right?"

Mariko-san giggled, then marked off the set Naruto had been inspecting when he shook his head "no".

"Exactly. But for Sasuke-sama, being the second son, the expectations were not quite so high and unwieldy. Of course, as an Uchiha, there were still many things which were expected of him. He was supposed to radiate all those qualities admired and sought for in an Uchiha. But the stress was still great even for him. He was still an Uchiha, after all."

Naruto nodded as they moved on to the last set in the showroom. Naruto glanced up at her, waiting for her to continue. She smiled and did so.

"As a noble family, and even though he was merely the second son, it was not always easy for him to be compared to Itachi-sama. Itachi-sama was perfect in everything, and Sasuke-sama didn't always seem to make the cut when compared side-by-side with Itachi-sama. That's why I believe Sasuke-sama's mastery of the sword is something he prides himself very much on, as it is the only thing he can say he ever truly surpassed his elder brother on."

"He does seem really proud of that. And come to think of it, he did mention that, and smirked that super-assholish smirk of his." Naruto grinned as he recalled the look.

Mariko-san nodded. "Things were very hard on Sasuke-sama growing up in his brother's shadow. He never felt as though he was good enough, and he always seemed to wish his father would be as proud of him as Fugaku-sama was of Itachi-sama. It was always a sore spot for Sasuke-sama."

"Geez, to think anyone would think of Sasuke as less than amazing is… really hard to imagine," Naruto mused.

"Well, that was the way it was for Fugaku-sama. Because of the expectations, he was a very critical man. But in Itachi-sama's mind, I think, it was rather preferred, the way things were. For all his… excessive interfering in Sasuke-sama's life, I truly believe Itachi-sama always only wanted the best for his dear little brother. To that end, Itachi-sama will do anything and everything for Sasuke-sama. Sasuke-sama's well-being is truly at the top of Itachi-sama's wish list, more than the rest of the Uchiha family."

Naruto nodded, and they moved to sit in a group of chairs set to the side, taking a break from their selections.

"In that way, I think, the Uchiha's failed in raising Itachi-sama. In training him to be the perfect Uchiha, the name and the heritage was to be his top priority, to further the Uchiha name and prosperity and respect, and instead, if Itachi-sama had the chance to throw it all away, bringing shame and despair upon the Uchiha name but gain Sasuke-sama's eternal happiness, he would do it without a second thought and without regrets. Because to Itachi-sama, there is no greater goal than seeing Sasuke-sama happy. Even if his version of what would make Sasuke-sama happy is a little… off."

"Or a lot off." Naruto laughed, and Mariko-san joined him.

They sat in silence for a while, Mariko-san thinking, Naruto staring out the large window behind them and watching the fluffy white snowflakes drift down to the Tokyo city streets.

"It's a little difficult to explain how that could have come about. It's just an impression I've gotten over the years, but I have no doubt in my mind that's the way things truly are," Mariko-san continued in a quieter voice.

"Shall we continue?" Mariko-san said after another long moment.

Naruto nodded, and they got up and went back to work.


	67. Chapter 67

Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday last week. Sorry I haven't gotten back to all of you yet, I promise I'll be working on it!

I finished up one more chapter for this story this last week, but it's not in the order I need to be going... Oops...

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: more Sasuke related angst, unbeta'd

Enjoy!

* * *

They chose a small café not far from the showroom for lunch. It was a cute little place, and they opted for a table by the window, where they could watch the falling snow and the scurrying people. It almost seemed like a storm was picking up, the snow was falling in torrents.

After they had ordered, Naruto glanced up at Mariko-san and frowned. "It really must have been hard for Sasuke, growing up. A lot more than I thought," Naruto murmured.

Mariko-san nodded, taking a sip of her hot tea. "Being a member of a prestigious family comes with its own set of interesting problems." Naruto nodded thoughtfully at her words. "Because the circumstances are unique, the public attention so high and the expectations so laid out and restrictive, I really can't say I'm surprised both Itachi-sama and Sasuke-sama turned out a little… well, let's just say _special_."

Naruto raised a blond brow in response to the choice of wording.

"For instance, we both are aware of Itachi-sama's rather… interesting personality traits. But it can really only be blamed on the restrictive nature of being born and raised as the eldest in such a prominent, high-class family. The pressure and stress of achieving can be difficult to bear, especially as a child. Itachi-sama never seemed to be really fazed by it, and he always seemed to be handling it all rather effortlessly, but I'm certain there must have been mental strain on him. As well, I'm certain Sasuke-sama had a great deal to do with the way Itachi-sama turned out."

"What? Why do you say that? What does Sasuke have to do with Itachi-san turning into a perverted, sadistic wacko?"

Mariko giggled at his choice of words.

"Of course, Sasuke-sama wasn't aware of the influence he had on Itachi-sama, nor did he do it intentionally. In fact, he probably would have rather not had that influence if he could help it. But the fact of the matter is, as I see it, that Itachi-sama really cares far too much for Sasuke-sama."

"Cares _too_ much?"

"Un. Itachi-sama was a very smart child. He was aware of the expectations placed upon him, both as the heir and eldest son, as well as those obligations placed on every Uchiha. He saw those around him, how cold and unfeeling they all were, how obsessed with power and prestige they had become, and watching the younger brother he cared so much for, it was only natural I think that he wanted none of that for Sasuke-sama. He wanted Sasuke-sama to grow up happy and care-free and unburdened. Whenever Sasuke-sama tried harder to gain Fugaku-sama's attention and respect, Itachi-sama would try to divert Sasuke-sama's attention. Whenever Sasuke-sama couldn't get his father to look his way, Itachi-sama would appear and fill that gap, casting all of his attention on Sasuke-sama- even if Sasuke-sama didn't want _that _kind of attention." Naruto laughed.

"He took on more and more burdens upon himself to ease the load Sasuke-sama was expected to carry.

He went out of his way to support and encourage Sasuke-sama, but with all his efforts, the lack of attention Sasuke-sama gained from Fugaku-sama seemed to upset Itachi-sama's work. The only way he became able to divert Sasuke-sama's attention was to go to drastic measures."

"Drastic… measures? Is that what you call his crazy antics?"

"And 'crazy antics' is a better way to put it?"

"Eh…"

And as informative as this day was being, it struck Naruto then it was also kind of fun too. Itachi-san's ways, as bad as it was (for Sasuke), was kind of fun to discuss.

When the laughter subsided, Mariko continued. "Even then, it was difficult. Of course, that was because the method Itachi-sama had adapted was… well, counter-productive. "

Naruto shook his head and took a drink of his own cup of hot cocoa.

"But Itachi-sama kept working and striving for Sasuke-sama's sake, even coming to butt heads with Fugaku-sama. Really, the only time I can think of that Fugaku-sama really recognized Sasuke-sama as Itachi-sama believed he deserved was when Sasuke-sama was given that katana for his sixteenth birthday." Naruto nodded, wondering a bit about that. Why was that the case? Why then? But Fugaku-san must have taken note of Sasuke enough to know to get him the katana, right?

"But by then, the damage had been done really. Sasuke-sama had excelled at everything placed before him, but he was the second child, and Itachi had done it all first, better, and faster. He just couldn't compare. And so gradually, Sasuke-sama became closed off. He couldn't get the affection he wanted and felt he deserved from his parents- of course his mother, Mikoto-sama showed him a great deal of attention, but that wasn't the recognition he strove for- and so he essentially began to give up." Naruto frowned. He couldn't imagine Sasuke giving up on anything he wanted. But then, if he had been struggling for that for so long, he guessed Sasuke must have just gotten tired. After so many years of trying and trying and getting nowhere, anyone might want to give up. It was kind of sad, and he felt for Sasuke then. It really must have been hard.

"He still worked hard, but by then it was so engrained in him he couldn't have done worse if he wanted to. He was always naturally smart and gifted, Itachi-sama was just more so, and the eldest son. He was just always in his elder brother's shadow." Mariko sighed, and took another sip of her tea. "The burden of a younger child, I suppose."

Naruto nodded. "I was an only child, so I wouldn't know," he said softly.

Mariko nodded. "Me as well."

The food was brought and set before them, and Naruto took a bit into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

Mariko's dark eyes drifted out to the sidewalk where people were rushing by, trying to get through the thickly falling snow as quickly as possible. For a while she followed a group of three women, huddling together under a flowery umbrella. "With women, as well, Sasuke-sama probably felt cut off and second-rate. He is handsome, yes, I believe even more so than Itachi-sama."

"I agree," Naruto mumbled. She smiled knowingly at him, and he tried to hide the sudden blush that set in his cheeks.

"But Itachi-sama is the heir to the prestigious Uchiha family, the one set to inherit most, the one whose supposedly superior in everything, so compared to his elder brother, he was even rejected by the women who now throw themselves at him."

"Eh? Seriously? Wow, stupid women."

Mariko nodded in agreement as she took a bite of her meal. "There was the case, as well, you might have heard, of Sasuke-sama's... lack of response to women, shall we say. He never showed interest in the opposite sex, or even of the same gender when he was a teenager. I personally think he was still too embroiled in surpassing Itachi-sama to take notice of such bane things as sexual stimulation and such not. And then watching as he was passed over for Itachi-sama, I believe he just began to consider it all a great waste of time."

Naruto nodded his head, thinking about it, blue eyes focused on the cloudy grey sky through the wide window.

"So when women started to take notice of him, he just didn't care. It was too late. He ignored them, walked right by them, and gave them no thought or even an instant of his time. Itachi-sama, seeing this, of course determined it to be a problem. Sasuke-sama, having grown without the affection he sought for, was decided to need to experience it. And so, Itachi-sama struck, and began pestering, and at times, _forcing_ Sasuke-sama into situations where he might be encouraged or tempted to take a woman to bed."

Naruto grimaced. He didn't like that idea. Sasuke was _his, _after all. Well, maybe not then, but _now._

Mariko shook her head. "All attempts failed, of course. Rather miserably, might I add. Sasuke-sama, it was then determined, was asexual."

Naruto nearly choked on his food. "Who decided that?"

"Itachi-sama, of course."

"Right," Naruto sighed, shaking his head.

"And for once, Sasuke-sama didn't fight Itachi-sama's erroneous conclusion. Perhaps Sasuke-sama just didn't want to fight it, maybe even he actually _agreed_, but you can't deny by coming to that conclusion, Itachi-sama stopped bothering him about it."

Naruto nodded, his mouth full.

"But poor Itachi-sama," Mariko-san sighed, a grin still on her face. "It was a great strike down for Itachi-sama. He had hoped, I'm sure, to find Sasuke-sama the kind of affection he craved through those means. But women, it seemed, were not an option for Sasuke-sama. But even Itachi-sama's attempts to get Sasuke-sama into bed with men were for naught."

Naruto grimaced.

Mariko's grin intensified and her dark eyes sparkled as she looked at the blond across the table from her, bright blue eyes reflecting the cheery warmth of the room. The smile softened. "Until you came alone, Naruto-sama."

Those eyes looked startled "Eh? M-me?"

She paused, looking up at the sky, that same, small secret smile still lingering on her lips. "That night Sasuke-sama brought you to the Uchiha mansion in the dead of night, soaked and unconscious, seeing the great care he gave you and the extents to which he went to care for you, it was all something I had never seen in him before. Somehow, that night, you managed what no one else ever had, not even Itachi-sama, for all his attempts. You penetrated Sasuke-sama's frozen heart. And for that, Naruto-sama," Mariko-san spoke, turning to him and smiling widely, "Itachi-sama is both grateful and incredibly jealous."

Blue eyes went wide. "J-Jealous? Of me?"

"You did what he never could. You turned Sasuke-sama into someone more human, someone who can care for another person. You've given Sasuke-sama the affection he's always craved. You know, Naruto-sama, Sasuke-sama is completely devoted to you. And I'm absolutely certain he will be for the rest of his life."

Naruto could feel his cheeks heat and his heart race. He stared down at his food, absentmindedly chewing on his bottom lip. He knew he loved Sasuke, but… Did Sasuke really love him? Mariko-san was so sure, but somehow, Naruto was afraid it might not be, but hoping he was.

Sasuke was good to him, always had been. Sure, Sasuke had never _said_ he loved him, but Naruto wanted to believe he did. And Mariko-san was implying it was so. Sasuke was so closed off with most of his emotions, but… But maybe, in this, Mariko-san was right. He wanted to believe it, and so, he chose to do so.

He looked up and smiled at Mariko. "I… hope so."

She smiled and nodded.


	68. Chapter 68

Next installment, and the last part of Sasuke's back story. Next chapter isn't finished yet, but I promise I'll work on it this week!

Disclaimer: me no own

Warnings: more Sasuke related drama, unbeta'd

Seriously, though, if anyone wants to read any of my original stories, let me know. I can send you a link to my lj account.

* * *

They had finished eating and were enjoying the warmth a bit more before heading out into the snow and back to the apartment, concluding their day together. But there was still more Naruto wanted to know about Sasuke. One more subject, he just had to ask on. "Um, Mariko-san," he began nervously. She looked up at him and waited for him to continue. "I want to know, if you can tell me, a little more about his family. His mom and dad I mean. If that's alright."

Mariko-san smiled. "Of course." She paused and thought about where to start. "Well, Fugaku-sama was a hard man. Raised as all Uchiha head's were, to be unfeeling and strong, determined and intelligent and superior to all other men. Emotion was weakness, you never turn your back on an opponent, be it potential ally or potential enemy. There were no such things as friends, and family was only useful in terms of advancing the Uchiha name."

Naruto's brows rose. "Ooh, that's harsh."

She nodded. "Sometimes, I have to admit, I wonder how he managed to marry Mikoto-sama. She was warm and kind and gentle. She smiled freely, and she gave everything she had to her two sons. Itachi-sama she was a little disappointed about, I think. She loved him, of course, but she might have thought he was turning out to be too cold and malicious like the rest of his ancestors. But on Sasuke-sama she doted endlessly." She smiled at the memories, and Naruto couldn't help but smile, too. He wondered what she looked like.

"I think Sasuke-sama might have found it to be a little demeaning. He was trying to be tough, to prove he was just as good if not better than any other Uchiha male, and I think he might have felt a little that his loving, doting mother was undermining his image."

"Right, Sasuke's stick-up-his-ass image."

Mariko nodded in agreement. "But he loved her, dearly. And he very much respected his father. Even if Fugaku-sama was cold, he wanted to make him proud."

Naruto nodded, then frowned. "So, I mean… why haven't I ever heard anything about them? I mean, I hear about Itachi-san all the time. He's always dropping by or calling, but I've never heard anything about his parents."

There was silence for a while, the two sitting silently, watching the snow flurries slow, the storm nearly over.

"That's because there isn't much to say about it. It's a delicate subject," Mariko-san began. She glanced back at him, giving a quick, reassuring smile, before delving into that part of the story.

"It was just after Sasuke-sama turned seventeen. Fugaku-sama and Mikoto-sama went on a short trip, and when they returned… well… Itachi-sama had been put in charge of the Uchiha Corporation while Fugaku-sama was away, and Sasuke-sama was still in school. Fugaku-sama and Mikoto-sama arrived a little earlier than planned and went straight home. Unfortunately, you see, the Uchiha family, due to its great power, has many enemies, but the greatest enemies of the Uchiha are the Uchiha themselves. Fugaku-sama was always having to reassert his claim as heir and head of the family. There were all sorts of relatives that challenged him constantly, but he always came out on top. However, there was one, Uchiha Madara, who was not one to be easily put down. He was Fugaku-sama's uncle, and Sasuke-sama's great-uncle, but he always felt he should have been the top of the family, due to… Well, several reasons which really aren't important to discuss right now and all of which deal with his own self-importance."

"I get the feeling pretty much all Uchiha's have issues with self-importance."

Mariko smiled slightly but otherwise didn't respond. She was too deep in thought about the events she was trying to relate to her blond companion. She knew how much Naruto cared for Sasuke, and knew this wasn't going to be easy to relate. She knew how he would take it, for Sasuke's sake at least.

"The point is," she continued softly, "he had decided that it was time to take action, and that Fugaku-sama must be removed from his position as head, and that he would be the one to do it. But the fact that they returned early hindered his plans, and… after he killed them… led to him being caught and convicted."

"W-Wait! You just said…" Naruto's eyes were wide, "You mean that guy…" his voice was gradually softening, the realization of what she had said settling in, "killed Sasuke's parents? In cold blood? And wait, if he's Sasuke's great-uncle, wouldn't that make him an old man? How was he even able to do it?"

It was a shock. Too much too fast. He was stunned. Sasuke had gone through something like that? And Naruto hadn't known? His own situation was suddenly set into a whole different perspective. Sasuke had been through something similar…

That was horrible.

"He did. He's much younger than you would think. He was the youngest born of his generation, and he's aged well. And felt no remorse for doing it. In fact, after it happened, he actually tried to convince Itachi-sama and Sasuke-sama that it was for their own good, that things would be better without their parents, that Fugaku-sama was leading the Uchiha family to ruin and he was only trying to protect the family by killing them."

"The hell?" Naruto muttered. "Did he really expect them to believe that load of crap?"

"Madara was well-known for being manipulative; it came as a part of him being a genius in the family. He had many followers, and Itachi-sama and Sasuke-sama had to actually try very hard to get Madara convicted. But while Madara had many followers, there were many more who were on the side of Itachi-sama and Sasuke-sama.

"So in the end, justice was served and Madara is now locked up away from the family and unable to cause any more harm to them. But it was a difficult battle, and caused a great splinter in the family. There are still, even now, many who are trying to get Madara released, who believe what he said about Fugaku-sama leading the family to ruin, and want nothing more than Itachi-sama to be removed from the position of family head and for that title to be given to Madara."

"What a load of bullshit. Are they morons?"

Mariko-san smiled. "Yes, I believe that they are. And I'm certain Itachi-sama and Sasuke-sama agree, which is probably why most of those members of the family have been stripped of any power within the corporation."

Naruto nodded slightly in approval.

"It might interest you to know, as well, that it was the same two lawyers Sasuke-sama hired for your case that were able to eventually get Madara locked away for good."

Naruto couldn't help a smile as he thought of the two. "Really?"

"Mhm," Mariko-san nodded again.

"So that's it then, that's why Sasuke... doesn't talk about his parents…"

"It was a very difficult time for him, and for Itachi-sama, too, of course. Itachi-sama handled it well, but I'm ashamed to say Sasuke-sama nearly fell for Madara's lies."

"Eh? Sasuke? What the hell! That idiot!"

Mariko-san laughed lightly. "If it hadn't been for Itachi-sama, he might have fallen for it in the end. But Itachi-sama was there for Sasuke-sama, and by distracting him with other… less depressing and more annoying factors, was able to steer Sasuke-sama away from the danger, and kept him well enough away from Madara that the influence waned and Sasuke-sama came to his senses."

"Good, otherwise I'd have to kick the bastard's ass for believing that load of shit."

Mariko-san nodded her head in agreement, that same smile still lingering on her lips.

Hearing all of that really made Naruto wonder. Sasuke was now going through so much for him, what was the reason, when he had his own family issues? And wasn't this, maybe even a little, hard for him, due to his own family situation? He had to wonder, and finally spoke aloud on his thoughts.

"Mariko-san… I don't suppose you know, or could tell me any reason you might think… Why… did Sasuke take me home that night? Why didn't he just leave me there?"

Finding out how it all happened, he couldn't help but wonder. Why?

Mariko-san's smile slipped off her face, and she pursed her lips, her brows furrowing. She turned her dark gaze forward, watching the snow for a moment before replying. "Honestly, Naruto-sama, I don't know." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Of course, I've thought about it. And I'm certain Itachi-sama has thought endlessly on the subject as well. After all the times he tried so hard to get Sasuke-sama to respond to someone, his dear little brother responds to some stranger passed out on the street. It doesn't make sense."

She was quiet for a long moment before she finally continued. "Sasuke-sama has never really been the generous type. He wouldn't go out of his way to help a stranger. And that's all the more reason him making such an effort with you is such a great mystery. All we can say, Naruto-sama," and the smile reappeared, but a little bit brighter, lighting up her eyes, "is that it must have been love at first sight!"

"E-Eh? L-love at first sight? Heh, you don't say," Naruto muttered, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, blue eyes darting around the area, a dark blush staining his cheeks. They had discussed the possibility of Sasuke being in love with him, but love at first sight? No way...

"Un. If you think about it, there's no other possible explanation, is there? Sasuke-sama saw you, and as soon as he laid eyes on you, he was in love!" She giggled as the blush on his cheeks increased again, until finally he burst into a wide grin and laughed along with her. The tense discussion of the mysteries of Uchiha Sasuke seemed to now be over.


	69. Chapter 69

Heh, sorry, forgot I needed to post today. So I don't know if I'll update next week. I've been working on the next chapter, but it's not finished yet. It looks like for a while I'll be going a week at a time. We'll see.

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: SMUT, unbeta'd

* * *

It had been a long day, and Naruto sat on the sofa musing over the day's discoveries. His blue eyes were focused outside, into the darkness of the night. After arriving back home, he had thought to pick up his new laptop and have some fun, but his mind was still swirling with everything he had learned from Mariko-san.

And even though it was already so dark outside, the lover in question had yet to return home from work.

Naruto frowned and slouched further into the leather, his eyes still gazing at the Tokyo skyline. Sasuke obviously had his own issues to contend with, family-wise, but here he was, helping Naruto, who for all intents and purposes had nothing to do with him. Sasuke took him in on a whim, and gave him a home, gave him all sorts of things to make him happy. Thanks to all Sasuke had done for him, Naruto had his life back, in many ways better than it had ever been, and Sasuke really never asked for anything in return. Just his body, which Naruto was (still a little shameful to admit) more than happy to give.

Sasuke didn't have to do any of that, but he did.

Naruto thought again about what Mariko-san had told him, and he wondered if it was because, like Naruto's own case, Sasuke wanted a sort of family. Sasuke had been through something similar, losing his family so unexpectedly, but even when they were alive, love seemed to be lacking. He wanted that, to be cared for. Their situation was definitely more "sane" than anything Sasuke had before, weird as their situation was.

Well, Naruto nodded to himself, if that _was _in fact what Sasuke wanted, he would give him that. Naruto grinned to himself and stretched, then flicked the TV on, flipping through channels as he waited for his lover to return home.

He loved Sasuke, of that he was certain. What Sasuke felt for him, he still wasn't sure, but Mariko-san insisted it was love. Love at first sight, persistent love. He wanted it to be true, so badly. But at the very least, he wanted to lavish his own love on Sasuke.

Whether it was reciprocated or not.

Having decided on that, he patiently waited, eyes fixed on, but not entirely seeing, the TV.

The wait didn't last too much longer, and Sasuke strolled through the door, casually removing his shoes by the door, depositing his briefcase to the side, and languidly strolled into the apartment.

"Okaeri, Sasuke!" Naruto called and he stood and grinned at his dark-haired lover. It was sad, what Sasuke had gone through. And it depressed him a bit, that he had had to learn about all of that through Mariko-san, and not Sasuke. But it was okay. It wasn't something that could have been easy for Sasuke to talk about, emotionally stinted as he was. He wasn't going to press it, or make a big deal out of it. Sasuke was supporting him, both financially and through his own family ordeal. He could support Sasuke in this way, at least.

The best method… satisfy Sasuke's needs in the best way he knew how.

A dark brow rose in question, and Sasuke grunted a response. Naruto's brow twitched, but he forced the grin to widen. "Have a good day at work?"

Sasuke shrugged causally and walked past Naruto to head into the bedroom to change out of his suit.

Naruto frowned, but forced the grin back. "Are you hungry? Wanna bath? Or…" And his grin turned sadistic as he snuck up behind his lover and stood on tiptoes to place his lips by Sasuke's ear, voice dropping and turning husky, "me?"

Sasuke stumbled, then turned a dark glare at the blond, who was grinning from ear to ear, blue eyes sparkling.

Sasuke's cheeks were faintly tinged pink, and he quickly stifled the warmth as he forced a glare back onto his features. "Dobe." And he continued on his business of changing.

Naruto didn't leave his spot, watching as Sasuke removed his clothes, carefully hanging his suit as he placed them to the side for Mariko to pick up and have washed, meticulous and yet haphazard as he removed the tie and shirt and belt.

With his back turned to the blond, Naruto made his way to the bed and sat, stretching out and laying on his back, slowly inching his legs apart, watching as Sasuke noticed his actions from the corner of his eye. Naruto slowly licked his lips and wiggled further up the bed.

Carefully and deliberately, he moved a hand up and over his stomach, rubbing small circles over the fabric before moving down to the edge of his pants. He faked a yawn, eyes drifting closed, then let a finger slip under the edge of his sweater and disappear under the cloth, rubbing against his skin.

He shifted, his legs spreading further as he faked yet another slow yawn, one blue iris peeking out as he watched Sasuke, noting the other man hadn't budged from where he had been standing, one hand frozen where he had been about to pull up his shirt to change it to another.

Naruto was beginning to feel very pleased with himself. He removed his hand from under his shirt, let it gently trace over his clothed erection, then placed the hand by his side. He stretched again, then went still, peeking again at Sasuke's reaction.

The other man had finally resumed his changing, and was no longer even looking in Naruto's, or the bed's, direction.

Naruto stifled a frown and sighed. What was with that lack of a reaction? He stretched again, eyes still shut in irritation, but flew open wide when he felt the bed shift. He glanced down, and there was Sasuke, dress shirt open, pants undone, smirking at the blond with a decidedly wicked look in those dark eyes.

Naruto gulped. He was getting very accustomed to that look, the look of unadulterated lust and possession, and Naruto nearly smacked himself at the thought of what he had just gotten himself into.

A pale hand snaked its way across Naruto's clothed chest from his hip to his neck, and then back down. Slowly, sensuously, and Naruto nearly groaned at the tingling sensation, growing irritated at the sweater that blocked the skin on skin contact.

"Sasuke," Naruto nearly growled.

Sasuke's smirk widened. "Isn't this what you wanted, dobe?" he asked in that deep, husky, super sensual voice of his.

Naruto moaned just at the seductive sound.

"Bastard," he couldn't help mumbling. But at the same time he lifted his hands up and wrapped them around his lover's neck, pulling the other man closer, their lips meeting in a slow, crushing, mind-numbing kiss.

_More, _Naruto thought. And as if hearing the blond's silent request, Sasuke pushed further into the blond, lining up their bodies, as Sasuke's hands continued to trace over Naruto's still clothed skin.

Naruto could barely breathe. Sensations were assaulting him, leaving him panting and hot as Sasuke pushed more, demanded more.

A pale hand slipped under Naruto's sweater and slowly crept upward, pulling the shirt along with it. Naruto shivered at the touch and the slight cold that followed the trailing warmth and he bit his lips, his eyes squeezing shut. He could feel the tugging at his clothes as Sasuke slowly began to pull them off.

They pulled apart just enough for the sweater to be pulled over his head, and then they were kissing again, chests rubbing against each other. Sasuke ran a hand down Naruto's body as Naruto clung to his lover, sucking on Sasuke's ravaging tongue.

Then Sasuke's hand slipped under the hem of Naruto's pants, his body positioning between Naruto's legs, spreading them apart as his hand grasped onto Naruto's throbbing erection. Naruto moaned loudly, his eyes sliding shut as he let the delicious sensations take over. Such delicious sensations created by his delicious lover.

But what Naruto wanted wasn't going to happen with his pants still on, so he pushed Sasuke up, the pale hand sliding away from Naruto's hard member, and he quickly tore his pants off his legs, before returning to pressing his body against Sasuke's.

Now that Sasuke was sitting on the bed, Naruto positioned himself on the other man's lap, wrapping his legs around Sasuke's waist and rubbed as he plundered Sasuke's mouth and had his own plundered in return. His arms wrapped around Sasuke's neck and shoulders, his whole body shivering with anticipation as he continued to rub at the hardness he could feel pressing into his behind.

He was throbbing with the need to have his lover inside him. He was so hot, his heart was racing, and each touch of Sasuke's fingers sent him shivering. Naruto moaned as Sasuke continued to ravage his mouth.

Then he could feel Sasuke running a hand between them, skillfully removing his arousal from his pants and exposing it to the cold air, ready to enter into Naruto's waiting body.

"Sa-suke…" Naruto murmured, eyes shutting as he rubbed against Sasuke's erection, then bit his lip as Sasuke's lubricated finger slid into him. He loved the feel of Sasuke's fingers in him, but he loved it most because it meant he was soon going to have something he loved even more occur.

And then it was happening. Sasuke pulled his finger out and repositioned Naruto on his lap, his lips moving to suck on Naruto's neck as he found the position he needed.

Naruto moaned out loud as Sasuke entered him, his body reacting with that same overwhelming sensation he always got when he was filled to the brim by his lover.

"Ah, Sasuke," Naruto moaned as Sasuke began to move in him, and he clung ever tighter as Sasuke began to move more fitfully, faster and harder, driving in fiercely and determinedly.

The bed was beginning to creak and the temperature in the room seemed higher, but Naruto could really only focus on what Sasuke was doing to him, his moans and gasps echoing around his head.

Harder and faster, in and out, Naruto clung tighter, until at last he could feel himself reaching the edge. He kissed Sasuke, his nails digging into pale flesh as he came, hi body tightening around his lover. He sighed again as he felt Sasuke's heat fill him, and couldn't help the smile that made its way onto his face.

And then he began to giggle happily.

In usual Sasuke fashion, the other man began to frown. "Oi, dobe," he murmured in his deep voice, tiredness filling its tone. "What the hell is your problem."

Naruto shook his head and shifted, swallowing thickly when he noted Sasuke was still deep inside of him, his cheeks heating at the arousing thought. "Nothing. Just thinking," he murmured back as he rested his head on Sasuke's shoulder, blue eyes staring dazedly at the wall. He had just remembered what Mariko had told him. It was still a little strange, but nice, the thought that Sasuke had fallen in love with him at first sight.

He let his eyes drift shut and wrapped his arms around Sasuke comfortable. "I love you," he whispered.

Sasuke sighed, then lifted Naruto just enough to place him back carefully to lie on the bed, slipping out of his lover's body as he shifted their positions.

"Jiraiya and Kakashi?"

"Hmm?" Naruto murmured sleepily. "Eh, I guess I love them, too. But not like I love you."

Sasuke humph, but he couldn't stifle the smile on his face. But Naruto's eyes were still closed, so he didn't bother to fight it. "That's not what I meant. Should we be expecting them to annoy us today?"

Naruto shrugged sleepily and turned onto his side, slipping off to sleep.

Sasuke covered him carefully with the blanket, redressed himself properly, then headed out the bedroom to prepare for any guests they might receive.


	70. Chapter 70

Um... hi?

Yeah, I know. It has been forever. Again.

But you know, I keep getting new readers of this story and of SA, and even though I have been gone so long, so many people still want to read my writing. Makes me very happy. *cries*

And so here I am, ready with another... (pauses to check)... eleven, but unbeta'd, chapters ready for this story. And the pair I'm currently working on are pretty much all planned out. So if I can keep my regular update schedule, we should have a good couple of months of updates for Storms! Yaay!

Um, unfortunately, haven't written a word for SA. Sorry! I'll try to get back on it!

But enough with my rambling, on to the story!

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: probably not the most interesting chapter, but very relevant

We're finally starting the revenge part of our story, yaay! Also, this chapter has been beta'd. Thanks Robin!

* * *

At first glance it was a simple laptop. Silver, sleek, light… It was exactly what he had in mind, something he could carry around with him wherever he went and easily pull out at a moment's notice when a hint of inspiration struck him. It was a Sony, and it was perfect.

Naruto grinned and lifted the top, turning it on. He had spent that first afternoon with it setting it up, but had yet to get around to actually using it, with Mariko-san's invitation to assist in wedding preparations the very next day. Then there was everything else that happened after that to get in the way. So now here he was, sitting on the sofa in the living room of the warm apartment he shared with his dark-haired, handsome lover, the box of his father's work set beside him, a USB in his hand, poised and ready.

It was finally time, time to figure out what he had on hand, and where he was going to go from here. He was excited and nervous at the same time, because of course, he wanted to do his father's work justice, and he was a little weary that he didn't have the capacity to write as well as his father.

He pushed those fears aside as the screen flicked on and everything was ready, and he began maneuvering around the desktop, opening the program he would need and slipping in the flash drive. He waited.

A window popped up, and there were the list of files which contained his father's work. He grinned. Slowly, he began going through them, eyes going wide as he recognized one folder containing the compiled typed information for the work before his father's most recent. He went back to the main folder and scanned the other items. He opened another, and his grin grew as he noted the information from his father's last book. This was all of the more recent work his father had been doing.

That was good. He nodded and went back to the other folders indicating other books his father was working on.

He noted only those two folders contained already published work, but there were so many other folders. He scanned the titles of them. _Notes_, he mused, _mostly._ It seemed almost everything else on the drive was notes for other works his father had in mind.

Naruto frowned. There were so many folders, all of notes that he would have to go through later, ideas his father had. Many were for works which, even had his father lived, probably would never see the light of day. But what he didn't see was the one he was really looking for. The book his father had been working on at the time of his death.

Had it been destroyed? Had his father not saved it somewhere other than the computer it was written on before the house, and everything in it, went up in flames?

The frown deepened and he reached for the other flash drive, hoping, praying, that that hadn't been the case. It wasn't so much that he just didn't want to start from scratch, practically, on another of his father's books, he just wanted to be able to start by finishing _that one_.

He plugged in the other drive and waited for the screen to pop up. When it did, blue eyes quickly scanned the contents. His eyes widened. Again, there were several files, none of which he seemed to recognize. It was then he started to realize, his father hadn't just been working on _one book_, but _several_.

_Did he always write more than one at a time?_ Naruto wondered.

The front door opened, and as he continued to scan the files, awed at his father's talent, he could hear the subtle sounds of Sasuke removing his shoes and getting comfortable, the soft padding of Sasuke's socked feet as he made his way to the couch where Naruto continued to prowl through the files.

"Tadaima," Sasuke murmured as he reached over and gently kissed Naruto's scarred cheek. A brow shot up as he noted the frown. "What's wrong?"

Naruto shook his head, not yet sure how to put it into words. "How was breakfast with the devil?"

Sasuke sighed and wandered away into the bedroom. "Hellish."

Naruto allowed the frown to drop for a moment before he spotted the folder he was looking for. He opened it, and the frown vanished completely. It was not only exactly what he was looking for, but even further along than he last remembered. The notes were copious and well-organized, and after looking everything over for a few minutes, he realized all he really needed to do was read over everything thoroughly, and then he could start writing. There was even a well-planned outline that detailed pretty much everything he needed to know about what his father had in mind for the book!

It was kind of exciting, now, as he sat looking at what his father had written. So he settled in on the sofa, pulled up the notes for the story, figuring that was the best place to start, and began to read.

Not much later Sasuke retreated from the bedroom, changed from the more formal clothes he had worn to meet Itachi for breakfast, and into more comfortable clothes. He glanced at Naruto, who was now immersed in whatever he was reading and meandered to the bookshelf, making a selection, then situated himself beside the blond.

Naruto scooched over, making room for his lover, and they settled in, each set to spend the rest of the day reading.

"Are you ready?" Sasuke asked detachedly.

Naruto blinked at him. "For what?"

"For the first move to be made. Once the Namikaze's know you're fighting back, you will be hearing from them."

Naruto pursed his lips and looked out the window to the gloomy grey sky. He swallowed thickly. "I… I guess I'm as ready as I can be." He took a deep breath. "It's unavoidable, right?" he asked softly.

"That's right," Sasuke replied. "You can be sure they aren't going to just take this. They're going to respond, and it won't be pretty."

"Yeah. I guess so." Naruto sighed. "Too bad, it'd be nice if they just gave us what we wanted and let it go at that."

Sasuke huffed.

Naruto sighed again, then turned back to his laptop, picking up where he had left off, reading over his father's notes, the last vestige of a connection to his father, almost hearing his father's voice as he read over the words.

He shut his eyes, listening to the remnants of his father's voice in his head, his resolve strengthening. He could handle this. He had his father's work, so in essence, he had his father at his side. A small smile played on his lips.

He could handle this. No matter what the Namikaze's threw at them, he could handle this.

Besides, he wasn't alone, not any more. He glanced at his side, where Sasuke was sitting with a book open on his lap.

He had Sasuke, now. He had a lover who cared about him, who would stay by his side and support him.

And as annoying and aggravating as they were, he had Jiraiya and Kakashi, too.

His smile grew. He wasn't alone.

Despite the Namikaze's best efforts, he wasn't alone.

That's all he needed.

He wasn't alone.


	71. Chapter 71

Here I am, just as promised! It was a little later in the day upload since I just got home a little while ago, sorry. But I'm here, and so here's the newest chapter! And here we go into the serious revenge planning. Enjoy! (hehehe...)

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: includes Itachi and Jiraiya

beta'd by Robin ^_^

* * *

It was a bright day, the sun shining clearly in the sky, no clouds in sight. It was a nice day, just the right conditions for Naruto to try something he had been wanting to. It was still cold, but he maneuvered a chair out onto the balcony and was sitting bundled up with his laptop warming his lap.

He rubbed his hands together enthusiastically and went at it, typing away with freezing fingers against the keys, tapping a steady rhythm as he wrote. What he was writing was mostly gibberish for now, whatever sprung to mind. He was just getting warmed up before he dove into reworking his father's books.

He had a goal, he knew where he was going to take his father's next book, which actually wasn't too far from its conclusion. So after about a half-hour of free-writing, he grabbed his notes and pulled up a new document.

Naruto gulped at the blank page, the cursor blinking impatiently at him. He knew what he wanted to say, knew where he wanted to go, but how to start…

That was the current difficulty. Start it well and it will flow, but if you can't find that right launch point, you get stuck.

He definitely did _not _want that to happen. Not on his father's books.

Naruto shivered as a particularly cold wind blew, the sound ringing in his ears, his hair blowing in a golden mess. He looked up at the clear blue sky and smiled. It really was a great day to start.

And a sudden stroke of inspiration hit him, and he started typing.

The flow lasted a good forty minutes or so, with just occasional lagging, and finally he sat back and sighed. His fingers were warm from the frantic typing, but his nose was a frozen, runny mess. He sniffled and wiped with the back of his hand, then rubbed it unceremoniously on his pants.

"That's disgusting, dobe," Sasuke's deep voice intoned from the open doorway.

Naruto looked over at him and grinned. "Okaeri!"

"How long have you been out here?" Sasuke asked as he made his way out onto the balcony. He had his hands in his pockets, his dark hair rustling in the wind. Naruto took a moment to take in the gorgeous sight, blushed at his thoughts and turned back to his writing.

"Dunno. An hour?" Naruto shrugged, then sneezed. Sasuke just shook his head.

"You're going to get sick, moron."

"I'm not. I've always had a good disposition."

"Uh-huh. That's why I found you passed out in the rain. But then, they always say idiots don't get sick."

"That was a special circumstance," Naruto defended. "And I'm _not _an idiot, jerk."

Sasuke huffed. "A special circumstance that warranted calling a doctor and putting you on a special diet. One which, I might add, did not consist of ramen. Shall we try that again?"

Naruto scowled at him and huffed, shutting his laptop and heading back into the now just as freezing apartment. He had kept the door open the entire time, allowing the cold air to seep into what would have been a warm and cozy apartment.

He made his way over to the table, setting his laptop down with all the paperwork and notes he had scattered all over, things he had been reviewing earlier this morning. Naruto glanced at the clock on the bar counter and frowned.

"Aren't you home early today?"

Sasuke nodded and slid the door shut firmly behind him, then made his way further in, where there was likely to be a bit more warmth. "We have guests coming."

"We do?" Naruto asked. "Besides the usual uninvited?"

Sasuke scowled and nodded. "Actual _invited_ guests today. Shikamaru and Ino."

"Eh? The lawyers? They're coming over? Why?"

Sasuke shook his head and upped the temperature on the thermostat. "Business. I got a call earlier from Ino that Shikamaru found something. They're coming to report it so we can move ahead with the plan." Sasuke stopped in his movements and sighed. "And Itachi's coming, too. Though he was _uninvited_."

Naruto stopped his current activity of gathering his things together into a neater pile. "Itachi-san? Why him?" he asked wearily. The elder Uchiha hadn't met Jiraiya and Kakashi yet, and the thought of them meeting, and in front of _sane_ guests, worried him a bit.

Sasuke shook his head wearily. "He… _insists_ he must be a part of these proceedings, as it deals with you and we are using the Uchiha name to back all of this up."

"Uh… huh… Well," Naruto scratched the back of his head wearily. "I guess… that's okay?"

"It's not, but there's nothing we can do about it. Mariko should be here soon to take care of dinner. Better take all your things to the bedroom. Don't want Itachi getting his claws on them."

Naruto smiled and nodded. "Right." He grabbed his things and headed to the bedroom, setting everything on the dresser before heading back for the rest.

By the time Mariko-san had arrived, Naruto had actually straightened the apartment up a bit, and it was much warmer.

She smiled as she entered, and she and Naruto immediately struck up a conversation as Sasuke flicked through the channels and awaited the arrival of their guests.

First to arrive were the usual uninvited guests, Jiraiya and Kakashi coming in mid-argument, debating some aspect of Jiraiya's newest ero book. They each spared a quick greeting to Naruto, ignored Sasuke, and politely greeted the maid before they situated themselves in front of the TV, arguing over Sasuke's head.

He was already starting to develop a prominent headache when the door opened abruptly and Itachi stepped in.

"Nii-san," Sasuke said as the older Uchiha brother removed his shoes by the door, "don't let yourself in as if this is your apartment."

"Now, now, Sasuke, you know what is yours is mine." Itachi smoothly reprimanded. "Naruto-kun, beautiful as ever, I see. And I'm sure Sasuke has been spoiling you as you deserve?"

"Ah, yes, Itachi-san," Naruto replied, bowing politely. "He just got me a new laptop, in fact."

"Is that so? Top of the line, of course."

"Of course," Sasuke butted in indignantly.

"Um, yeah," Naruto replied. He noted out of the corner of his eye the approach of Kakashi and Jiraiya hovering behind his shoulder, carefully analyzing the new guest.

"Good, good. Only a product worthy of an Uchiha will do." Itachi nodded in satisfaction and proceeded to make himself comfortable as if he were in his own home.

Naruto decided not to comment that he wasn't an Uchiha. It wouldn't do to correct Itachi-san, after all. "Ah, Itachi-san, allow me to introduce you to… uh… some old family friends," Naruto opted instead. He indicated the two men behind him as Itachi looked up, and continued. "This is Jiraiya and Kakashi."

Sasuke cut in. "This is my brother, Uchiha Itachi. Otherwise known as the Devil."

Itachi nodded, not protesting Sasuke's introduction.

Kakashi and Jiraiya exchanged glances and Naruto held back a sigh.

"Um, Itachi-san, would you like a drink?" Naruto offered.

"That would be suitable, Naruto-kun."

Naruto nodded and moved to get something for him, but was beaten to the punch by Mariko, who appeared with a glass and blood red wine. Once more, Itachi was seated like a lord in his manor, overseeing his minions as they toiled on his behalf. In other words, he looked very comfortable.

Kakashi and Jiraiya again exchanged glances, then Jiraiya muttered in Naruto's general direction. "You can tell they're related, huh?"

Naruto frowned but made no reply.

"The lawyers?" Itachi asked after taking a sip, turning his attention to his little brother.

"They should be on their way," Sasuke answered.

"So what exactly are they supposed to be coming here for anyways?" Jiraiya asked as he took a seat at the table.

"They found something they think would aid us. We're going to discuss it before we give the go ahead to the next step."

"Which would be?" Kakashi asked as he leaned back against the kitchen bar.

"A public announcement. Or rather, taking the paperwork to the Namikaze's, which will in turn attract public interest."

Naruto caught sight of the smirk tracing Itachi's features, and he held back a shiver. That look… was a little too scary. What was the older Uchiha thinking, he couldn't help but wonder. Naruto swallowed thickly. He decided he didn't want to ask.

At that moment the doorbell chimed, and Naruto rushed over to answer the door. He pulled it open on to a bickering couple, Ino's hands raised as if she were ready to fight, Shikamaru looking just as lazy as ever as he held on to a black briefcase.

"Ah, welcome," Naruto greeted them as they paused a moment in their arguing.

Ino smiled cheerfully at him and walked past him into the apartment, Shikamaru following sluggishly, giving a faint incline of his head in Naruto's direction as way of greeting.

"Uchiha-sama, Sasuke-san," Ino began, bowing slightly to the two Uchiha males. Shikamaru gave a half-hearted wave and planted himself on a chair at the table, dumping the black briefcase on the table-top before him. Mariko appeared behind him, placing a glass of wine before him.

"It's good to see you both," Naruto said as he made his way back to the table where everyone was now gathering. "How have you been?"

"Overworked," Shikamaru muttered.

"_Busy,"_ Ino corrected, smiling brightly at Naruto before casting a threatening look in Shikamaru's direction. She placed herself gracefully into a chair and crossed her legs, getting Jiraiya's undivided attention, even as Mariko-san came around and presented her with a glass of wine as well.

"I hope it hasn't been too much to deal with," Naruto replied, rubbing at the back of his neck in slight embarrassment. He hadn't wanted to overwork them. He was grateful enough for what they had done already. They didn't need to do so much just for him.

"Now, now, Naruto-kun. They are getting paid to work," Itachi interceded. "But enough with the pleasantries. We have a family to obliterate."

Naruto's expression fell, his smile dropping off his face and being replaced with a frown.

"Yes, yes. I, too, would like to hear what the lawyers have found out," Jiraiya added, placing himself in a chair beside the blonde woman. "I'm good with information gathering, being a prosperous writer, after all-"

"Of porn," Naruto added. Couldn't let the old pervert get too full of himself, after all.

Ino cast a suspicious look at the man, but he took no notice of it as he continued. "But I couldn't get anything that would work to put them in their place. Bunch of-"

"I think, if you could, Ino-san," Naruto interrupted.

"Yes, if you would, Yamanaka, Nara. What have you discovered," Sasuke added.

Everyone waited for the two lawyers to speak up, and Ino took up the challenge happily. "We found a loophole."

"A loophole?" Kakashi asked.

"_I_ found the loophole," Shikamaru added in a drawl, leaning over as though exhausted. Maybe he was, or maybe he was faking. Naruto wasn't sure, with the way he acted.

Ino waved Shikamaru away and continued. "From what we," she glanced at Shikamaru, "_Shikamaru _discovered, the method used by the Namikaze's as the justification for taking everything was completely unchallengeable. They did everything properly, and according to their methodology, they did everything perfectly legally. There's nothing that can be done about it."

"Wha-"

"But didn't you just say-"

"You mean-?"

Everyone seemed to erupt at once, but Ino frowned and glared at all the men surrounding her, demanding silence. "The method they used was flawless, but…" She smiled wickedly and glanced again at her lazily lounging business partner. "There's a flaw with their _method_ itself."

"What do you mean," Naruto asked after a moment of silence. Everyone else seemed to be contemplating what the woman had said, but he was just confused. The method was flawless, but had a flaw? That didn't make sense.

"What they did to claim everything was perfectly in their right. Here, let me explain it this way. What they did was make the claim that, at the death of the heir of the family, the only male son of the Namikaze line, they had claim to everything he had gained in his lifetime."

Kakashi's expression darkened behind his mask, and Jiraiya's face contorted in anger. Naruto bit his lip.

"That was true, in the way they did it. According to the family registry, that was exactly the case. The only son and heir of the Namikaze line had no children, no wife, no one else who could claim any right, and so everything went to his father and sister."

"But Naruto-" Jiraiya began.

Ino shook her head. "I'm getting to that." She paused to take a sip of her wine, then continued."So the method they used was true and correct. However, the loophole," and she held up a finger for emphasis of the point she was about to make. "The registry they used to base this on was their own family registry. But, what they failed to take into account, or maybe they just figured no one would notice, and no one would unless they looked closely enough," she glanced again at Shikamaru, this time a hint of pride in her partner's abilities peeking through, "was that when Namikaze Minato left the family, he started his _own _family registry, separate from the family he left behind. In that, was registered his wife… and his son."

She looked at Naruto and smiled. "We just have to exploit that little fact."

Everyone was silent once more, taking in the new information.

"But what does that mean, exactly," Naruto murmured.

Shikamaru sighed and sat up properly. "It means that the public isn't aware that your father and his family were no longer on speaking terms, and that there exists a challenge to the Namikaze's claim. That they didn't rightly have any claim to your father's estate. That the Namikaze family purposely went and covered all of that up, and pretended that any of the discord didn't happened. It means that the Namikazes used cheap tricks to get things which didn't legally belong to them, and it also means the Namikazes, as well as being a bunch of lying bastards, are also heartless. They're going to lose a lot of face."

Naruto fidgeted where he stood.

"And you can use this? This registry thing you've found? It's proof enough?" Jiraiya asked.

Kakashi nodded in agreement. "We can't have the Namikazes making claims that we're the ones using cheap tricks."

"No need to worry about that. We've got the registry, and it's all legal," Ino replied.

"Also, if there needs to be more proof, we have the books."

"Books?" Kakashi asked.

Shikamaru stood and wandered over to Naruto's book shelves, searching the titles before he picked one out and opened the front cover to a certain page. He turned it and presented it to the gathered group.

The dedication page.

"'To my son, without whom I would have no reason to go on living'," Shikamaru quoted.

Naruto bit his lip hard, his eyes burning.

Shikamaru lowered the book. "What son would that be? Who, where, is this son? One must exist, if Namikaze Minato dedicated a book to him, and in such loving words. And yet the registry makes no mention?"

Ino was nodding her head fervently in agreement, a big grin on her face.

"Then, of course, there's DNA. Should it really become necessary, we can get a test done."

Naruto needed to sit. He made his way stiffly to a chair and plopped himself down, his thoughts racing.

Could this all really work? Would everything be okay?

"Hmm, I agree," Itachi announced suddenly. "Minashi, wine."

"Of course, Itachi-sama." Mariko-san nodded and made her way over, no one commenting on the mistaken name. She filled his glass and he took a long leisurely sip, enjoying that all eyes were on him for the moment.

"All of this will work well. We should consider how and when to issue the challenge. Sasuke, I'll leave that up to you," Itachi began. He was ready to issue orders now, it seemed.

"And what part will you have in this?" Sasuke asked curtly. His dark brows were pulled together in irritation. He never did like taking orders from his elder brother.

Itachi smirked, and Naruto could feel the shiver racing up his spine at the sight.

"Oh, don't think I haven't been doing my part, little brother." Itachi took another long sip of wine, and his expression took on an even more sinister appearance. "I have been doing my own sort of research on the matter. The Namikaze's are in for quite the experience."

A brow rose on Kakashi's face, and Jiraiya nearly spit out his own wine at the look.

"Well, you did say 'obliterate'," Sasuke reasoned blandly, as if hearing his brother speak of destroying a family was an everyday occurrence. But then, Sasuke always did say Itachi was the devil.

"Wait, what exactly did you find out?" Jiraiya asked.

Itachi's smirk of pure evil grew and Naruto was certain he was going to start cackling evilly any second now. But all he did was take another sip of his blood red wine, that sinister look still covering his features. "Let's just say," Itachi began, "everyone has secrets they don't want getting out into the public. And an Uchiha… knows _everything_ about his enemy."


	72. Chapter 72

Another update, as promised! Enjoy!

This one is the first part of three.

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: don't think there are any, really...

beta'd by Robin

* * *

"Let's go on a date!" Naruto exclaimed suddenly, coming to an abrupt stop before the TV.

Sasuke glanced up from his book, his dark eyes penetrating from behind the glasses placed primly upon his face. "Idiot."

Naruto scowled and crossed his arms across his chest. "Let's go!"

"I'm busy," Sasuke replied, going back to his book.

The scowl dropped from his face and Naruto frowned, blue eyes glancing off to the side as he thought over the predicament. Then he grinned as an idea struck him. He dashed over to his lover's side and collapsed onto the couch cushions, disturbing Sasuke from his reading once more.

"Come on," Naruto pouted, leaning close to Sasuke, resting his chin on the other man's shoulder. Big blue eyes blinked owlishly. "Pleeeeease?"

Sasuke scowled and smacked the blond on the head with his book, then went back to reading.

"Hey, bastard," Naruto growled as he rubbed his head. "Come on. We've been together for how long and you have never, not once, taken me out on a date. Let's go!"

Sasuke glanced up again, watching Naruto's face carefully as Naruto continued to pout.

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "You've never indicated wanting to go on a date before. Why now?"

"Because! I wanna go on a date! Let's do something fun together, just the two of us! Let's go out to town, go to a nice place to eat. You know, spend some time together!"

"We can spend time together here. Look, see? We're doing that now." And Sasuke lifted his book back up and resumed reading.

Naruto's pout intensified. "I mean, _outside_. We can't be stuck inside forever."

"It's snowing," was Sasuke's muddled response, not even bothering to look up again.

"Damnit bastard! I wanna go on a date!"

Sasuke grunted, but made no other response.

Naruto stood and stomped over to the kitchen. He was still frowning, but when he reached the kitchen counter, he stopped and turned back around. He watched his lover for a while, thinking on his next move. What could he do or say to get Sasuke to go out on a date with him?

He bit his lip, eyes examining the dark-haired man.

Finally, he spoke in a soft voice. "You know, once the public knows about us, about my family's situation, it's gonna be really hard to leave here, especially together." Sasuke glanced up, dark eyes focused intensely on the blond. "We've never gone out together before, like a real couple. I wanna spend as much time with you as I can, since I love you." Naruto turned his eyes away, his cheeks dusting pink. "I like being here with you, but I wanna go out there with you, too."

Sasuke frowned.

Naruto delivered the final blow. He took on a depressed look. "Or are you embarrassed of me? You must be, I'm nowhere near your normal standards. I'm… nothing."

He held back the smirk he felt when he heard the book slam on the table beside the couch and Sasuke stood. "Fine," he said gruffly. "If you want to go out on a date, we'll go."

Naruto couldn't hold back the grin that stretched across his face. He beamed. "Yatta! Let's go!" And he jumped in happiness, pumping a hand into the air.

Sasuke held back a sigh. What had he gotten himself into?

He pondered the situation as he grabbed a jacket and made his way out of the apartment behind the exuberant blond, locking the door before trailing after Naruto as he raced toward the elevator, bouncing on his feet in excitement.

"What do you wanna do first?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke shrugged.

Naruto pouted. "Come on! Make some effort! We're going on a date!"

"I am making an effort. I'm here, aren't I?"

Naruto sighed. "I'm gonna have to drag you the whole way, aren't I?"

"You're the one who wanted to go on a date."

"Geez, I didn't know it was a crime to want to spend time with the person you love."

Sasuke hmphed but otherwise said nothing.

Naruto frowned. "I used to go out on dates all the time with my girlfriend, why can't you-" Naruto stopped talking just as the elevator came to a stop and glanced up at Sasuke's angry face. "Oh. Um. Well, I mean-"

Sasuke stomped off, not saying anything, and Naruto rushed to catch up with him.

"Fine, okay! We don't have to go! I love you more than I ever really liked her, so…" He could see Sasuke's shoulders tense, but forged on, "So we don't have to do anything. Just being with you is enough."

Sasuke was still walking, but Naruto stopped and sighed. So much for his perfect date with his amazing lover. He mentally kicked himself for being so ridiculously stupid and saying something so incredibly unnecessary.

Sasuke stopped at the door of the building. "Are you coming, or not?" he asked.

Naruto bit his lip and slowly made his way to Sasuke's side, examining his irritated expression with clear blue eyes. "Sasuke, I love you."

Sasuke turned away. "I know that. Idiot."

"Um, I want you to know…" He paused and took a deep breath. He didn't want to keep bringing her up, but he didn't want this to ruin anything. And Sasuke was clearly a prick who was completely emotionally stunted, and since all he really wanted was to have a happy family where he was loved, Naruto didn't want to let him think he was getting anything but that with him.

"Actually, the reason I started dating her was she confessed to me," Naruto started. "And I really only said yes cuz Kiba was being a dick and stuff."

Sasuke glared at him.

He swallowed thickly and continued. "But I never really felt anything for her. And I never really tried anything with her. I mean… I didn't… really like her all that much."

Sasuke made that irritated huffing sound again and made for the door.

"Sasuke!"

"You were upset when she left you for your cousin."

Naruto blinked. A response… and one vaguely human. "Well, that was more the fact that she dumped me for my cousin without even actually dumping me, and that I was pissed at myself for ever believing she was anything but a money-grubbing slut," Naruto shrugged.

Sasuke glanced back at him.

Naruto smiled at him gently. "I can honestly say, beside my dad, 'Kashi and Jiraiya, oh, and Tsunade-baa-chan, I never really _loved_ anyone. I mean, I liked people, sure, but I loved my family. But even then…" Naruto looked at Sasuke with a sincere look in his wide blue eyes. "I've never loved anyone like I love Sasuke."

Naruto almost laughed at the look that crossed Sasuke's handsome features. It couldn't be called anything but surprise.

He grabbed onto Sasuke's arm and tugged his sleeve. "Will you take me on my date now?"

A small smile crossed Sasuke's lips. "Moron."


	73. Chapter 73

Here's part two of the date! Sorry, it's kinda short, but there's still one more chapter for their date to look forward to!

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: eh, nothing really...

beta'd by Robin.

* * *

Their first stop was to the bookstore.

It was Naruto's favorite place, and he couldn't imagine a better place to spend a date with the person he loved most in the world than in a place he really loved and always felt happy.

He was practically bouncing when he went in through the automatic sliding doors and made his way into the happy warmth of the bookstore. He caught sight of Temari-san at the counter in the café to the right and waved. She waved back, but looked surprised when she spotted Sasuke beside the blond.

Naruto glanced at his lover and grinned before he grabbed his arm and pulled him upstairs to his favorite section.

"You know her?" Sasuke asked as he was led up the stairway.

"Mm, yeah. She makes great hot chocolate."

Naruto didn't see the confused look Sasuke gave him.

Soon they were standing in Naruto's favorite section, and the cheerful blond was already poring over the titles, trying to discern the next interesting book to add to his ever-expanding collection. Sasuke sighed and looked around.

It was a nice bookstore, with a decent collection. He made his way over to a bookshelf and began examining the titles. He pulled out a few to look at the synopsis, but put them all back in the end. But when he glanced at his lover, the blond had an arm full of books.

"That many, dobe?"

Naruto paused to stick his tongue out at Sasuke, then returned to perusing the shelves.

"You do realize we can't carry that many books with us wherever we go today," Sasuke continued.

Naruto paused and looked down at his books in thought. "I guess not," he finally conceded. He seemed to think things over for a while before he finally began returning a few to where they had been, making a mental note to remember the titles so he could get them later.

Then the blond wandered over to where Sasuke was looking, enjoying the presence of his lover and a bookstore. It was wonderful.

"See anything good?" Naruto asked, not bothering to hide his grin.

Sasuke glanced at him, then shook his head. "Nothing in particular."

"Yeah, some of these really aren't very good. This one," and he pointed to one particular book, "was too wordy. They could have expressed everything worth mentioning in that book in about ten pages. This one," a second book was indicated, "didn't read very smoothly. And this one," a third one was presented, "just doesn't make any sense at all. And it wasn't one of those that isn't supposed to make sense until the end or something, it just doesn't."

Sasuke watched Naruto as the blond continued pointing out book after book and going into an explanation of why it was no good, or when his blue eyes would catch sight of a really good book, going into what made it so. It was a little bit amazing, Sasuke realized as he listened to the blond speak, but Naruto really seemed to know what he was talking about. He supposed that had a lot to do with his father being a writer, but he recalled also that Naruto had been in school to be a writer.

"Naruto," he interrupted just as Naruto was about to launch into a tirade about a book he really didn't like.

The blond blinked at him in confusion, then frowned. "What?"

"Do you want to go back to college?"

"Eh?" Naruto stepped back from the book, his arm hanging in the air from where he had been jabbing a finger at the irritating volume.

"You can, you know. I know you decided to finish your father's work, but you can go back to school. You have the time, and my money is at your disposal."

Naruto turned back to the shelf in front of him and grabbed a book beside the one that had recently irritated him and superficially examined it, running a finger over the glossy cover.

"I've thought about it. But I decided not yet. There's gonna be enough trouble with all the press, and the whole story getting out about me and my father and… I just think it would be better to wait until everything blows over. Is that okay?" Naruto asked, turning to look at Sasuke.

Sasuke shrugged. "Whatever. If that's what you want."

"You don't think that's stupid or cowardly or…"

"Dobe. You're going to be dealing with a lot once everything comes out. I'd understand if you don't want to leave the apartment at all during that time. So do whatever makes you feel more comfortable."

Naruto nodded and smiled. "Alright, so this book…" And his tirade continued.

By the time they finally left the bookstore, Naruto had accumulated several more books, with a total of only three Sasuke would allow him to buy at the moment, and had made it clear to Sasuke Naruto had read a good number of books more than he could ever have expected.

Next on their date Sasuke had no idea, so he just followed as Naruto led him down the street, making tracks in the light snow on the ground as they walked, the blond leading just a few steps ahead. Naruto was obviously in a good mood, energetically hopping around, running up ahead and coming back like a child.

"Hey, hey, Sasuke, where to next?"

Sasuke shrugged, not bothering to look at the lively boy before him. He already knew Naruto was pouting at him without having to look. He sighed and glanced at his watch. "A movie?"

Naruto blinked at him, then grinned. "Yeah! I hear that ninja movie is really good!"

Sasuke made no reply as Naruto took off again down the street, rattling on and on about the awesome ninja moves they were sure to see, further proving to Sasuke that Naruto was the kind of person those "do not try at home" warnings were meant for as the blond imitated a move he saw on some anime and ended up on his behind in the snow.

"Idiot," he muttered as he walked past. But Naruto only laughed as he picked himself up and ran after his lover, finally settling in peacefully beside him as they continued walking.


	74. Chapter 74

Last part of the date!

And then next chapter we get to putting the revenge plan into motion. It shall be marvelous! Heheheh.

Anyways, enjoy!

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: little bit of Naruto angst, this one is unbeta'd

* * *

"Here we go! Let's eat!" Naruto cheered. It was the decided next stop in their date after the (according to Naruto) incredibly super awesome ninja movie.

Sasuke glared. "Didn't you say you wanted to eat somewhere nice?" he replied, not budging from his spot before the door to Ichiraku Ramen.

"What? This _is _a nice place to eat," Naruto pouted, pulling at Sasuke's arm to get him through the door and to his ramen.

Sasuke shook his head. "It's ramen."

"So?" Naruto asked, pulling at his lover's arm more fervently, all his concentration on getting to the ramen.

Sasuke ground his teeth. "I- Don't- Like -Ramen."

Naruto froze, shocked blue eyes drifting to focus in on his lover's intense dark gaze. "Wha-" Naruto couldn't even get the words out, he was so appalled. Not like ramen? Who could not like ramen? It wasn't possible! And especially not _his _lover. That was unacceptable.

Sasuke sighed at the look he was getting. He decided to be pacifying. "What I mean to say," he began, gritting his teeth, "is that, since we're taking the time to go out on a date, we should go somewhere… a little more upscale." Naruto was still staring at him with that appalled look. "We can have ramen later."

Naruto relaxed a little. "Later?" he asked delicately, testing the waters.

"Later," Sasuke confirmed.

Naruto loosened and nodded. "Alright, ramen later, prissy, upscale thing now. Just so long as I get ramen later."

Sasuke held back a grunt of annoyance. "Right," he muttered, pulling his blond moron away and leading him back down the street to a nicer place, somewhere with a better ambience than a lousy ramen shop. Though, admittedly, from his past time of eating Ichiraku's ramen, it wasn't bad. It was actually kind of good. It was tolerable, for ramen, at least. But for now, he wanted _real _food at a _real _restaurant.

And so they went, the blond pouting as he was led down the snow-covered street, past shops and restaurants and condos, into a brightly lit corner with lots of colorful Christmas decorations lining the restaurant front.

It was called a simple "Chou"(1), the kanji lit in elegant script above the double doors, an insignia of a butterfly beside the name, and Sasuke pulled the blond in.

The warmth was everywhere, comfortable and not too stuffy. Naruto glanced around, expecting to see a place full of grumpy, irritable, self-important people, but instead he saw good-natured, cheerful people chattering and laughing and enjoying themselves. He instantly liked it.

He smiled. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, after all.

A man approached them, ready to lead them to a seat, but instantly pulled back when he caught sight of Sasuke.

"Uchiha-sama, Irashaimase(2)," he greeted, bowing respectfully.

Naruto was surprised, and glanced at Sasuke out of the corner of his eye. "Come here often?" Naruto murmured.

Sasuke glanced at him, then back at the waiter. "Table for two."

The man bowed and led them away from the door, further into the back of the restaurant to a more private area.

"I know the owner," Sasuke said suddenly, apparently as way of explanation to Naruto's comment.

"Oh? From where?" Naruto asked as he sat.

"Shall I inform Akamichi-sensei of your presence here today?" the waiter asked Sasuke as he handed over the menus.

"That won't be necessary," Sasuke replied, dismissing the waiter smoothly. "Akamichi Chouji is Nara Shikamaru's best friend, actually. They grew up together."

"Eh?" Naruto replied. "Really?" He thought over the information a moment before he frowned. "But I wasn't aware you were particularly close to Shikamaru, either."

Sasuke glanced up from the menu into Naruto's curious blue eyes. "I'm not, particularly. But…" He grit his teeth and looked back at the menu. "I went to college with Shikamaru."

"Eh? Really? You did? Where?" This was all new information, and Naruto was always ready to pounce on any new information about his prickly lover.

Sasuke appeared a bit frustrated, but he replied regardless, if not in a slightly lower voice than previously. "Toudai(3)."

Naruto frowned. "Tou- Tou…" Then understanding seemed to dawn on his face and his eyes grew wide. "Toudai?!" he screeched in surprise. "_The_ Toudai?"

"Is there more than one? Idiot." Sasuke looked up, his brows furrowed in irritation. "Why should it surprise you. I come from a rich, prestigious family. I'm brilliant. I'm successful. Why wouldn't I have gone to Toudai, and graduated with honors?"

And Naruto felt pathetically, ridiculously inferior. Of course, he knew all that; that Sasuke was handsome, rich, from a powerful, well-connected family with a long, honorable history. That he was already far above anything Naruto would have, or could have ever imagined. But to hear it in such solid fact, from Toudai…

He swallowed thickly and leaned back in his seat, having lost his appetite. He loved Sasuke, of that he was certain. He had never felt this way about anyone before, but did he really belong here, with him? Sure, his father was a well-known, successful writer, but they were just a small, slightly well-off family. His father was just a gifted man. And Naruto was just the son of a gifted man.

So what right did he have to be with Uchiha Sasuke?

Sasuke must have sensed the uneasy feelings emanating from his blond, as Naruto was snapped out of them by a solid thunk to the head, courtesy of the thick menu in his lover's hand.

"It's just Toudai. Just a school. Shikamaru is from a small, completely normal unknown family, and he just happens to be a genius. Some nobody graduated higher than an Uchiha. Even Itachi has expressed his admiration for Shikamaru's ability. Though, he would never admit to it as being admiration."

Naruto was surprised again. "Really? Shikamaru's that amazing?"

Sasuke scowled. "Don't call him amazing."

And now it was Naruto's turn to frown. "Why not? He is. You just said so."

"Even so, don't say it. I don't want you impressed with anyone but me."

Naruto blinked at Sasuke's admission. He thought it over, turning the strange words over and over in his head, and suddenly, he came to a rather astonishing conclusion. He grinned.

Sasuke had never said he loved him, sure, but didn't that sound like he did?

The blond decided it did, and let all the worries vanish. So maybe he was inferior and didn't deserve Sasuke. If the other man cared about him enough, should it matter?

After all, from a social status stand point, his mother was 'inferior' to his father, and yet they had been together. It caused lots of problems, like the situation he was in now, but still. They had been happy.

Naruto pursed his lips and fiddled with his napkin. "Hey, Sasuke?"

"What, dobe."

He wanted to bring it up, his inferiority complex, but he smiled, and instead said only, "Love you. Arrogant jerk."

(1) For those that don't know, it means "butterfly"

(2) Used to greet a customer upon entering an establishment such as restaurants and stores

(3) Toudai, aka Tokyo University (or _Tou_kyou _Dai_gaku- romaji spelling). Not many people seem to realize how prestigious a school it is, on par with Harvard and Oxford


	75. Chapter 75

Waah, sorry! I fell asleep and totally forgot to update. But I'm here now!

Another chapter, and here is the beginning of the payback! Of course, this won't be a simple revenge plot, and it will take a good many chapters to get through it. Also, I really do seem to have the end of this story in my sights, but it'll be a while yet. I have currently finished writing chapter 85, and I'm thinking there will be a little over 90 chapters. We shall see how it turns out.

Anyways, here we go. Enjoy!

Warnings: don't own

Disclaimer: unbeta'd

Just as a reminder, because I keep forgetting to mention this- I am not a laywer, nor do I really know very much about American law, so I definitely don't know anything about Japanese law. I am taking liberties with this story, so let's just go with it, ne?

* * *

The days were beginning to really get colder, snow falling more and more readily. The ground was almost fully cloaked in white, and the temperature continued to drop. Christmas was approaching.

Naruto bit nervously at his fingernails as he stared at the large screen TV. That was the fifth Christmas commercial he had seen in the past half hour, and he trembled.

He'd had a girlfriend or two in the past to spend the holiday with, but never really seriously, and now… Well, obviously, he had never had a _boyfriend_ to spend it with, and it made him a little nervous. He wasn't even sure Sasuke would want to do anything with him (since it's well-known grinches don't like Christmas).

But Naruto wanted to do something, anything. Even if it was just snuggling in bed with his grumpy lover. But would Sasuke want to? He wasn't sure, and he was a little afraid to bring it up.

He could tell as the days grew shorter and the advertisements increased that Sasuke was getting jumpier, and he noted the few sideways, increasingly suspicious glares he had been getting from the dark-haired man. Was he that obvious? But he couldn't help it. He was a fun-loving, touchy-feely kind of person (or at least touchy-feely with people he liked). And he wanted to be super touchy-feely with his anal boyfriend, damnit!

All the thinking on the subject was making him cranky, and he was just about to flip the channel to find something ridiculously violent to relieve his frustration when a news report began to fill the screen. He blinked at it a few times, blue eyes clouding in confusion. He hadn't been paying much attention to what he had been watching, wasn't even sure when the news program had begun, but the reporter on the screen was obviously in depth reporting a story. Something about a writer who was recently deceased and an inheritance issue.

His eyes flew wide open and he cranked up the volume.

"It's quite a shock to receive the report of the issue of inheritance. I doubt the Namikaze family are taking this well," the woman was saying. A tall, formally dressed man with glasses stood beside her and shook his head stiffly.

"You can be sure Namikaze-sama will be doing everything in his power to stifle this ridiculous claim immediately. The fact that anyone could come forward with such an assertion…" The man held his tongue, and Naruto suddenly recognized the figure. He had been the one to appear all those weeks ago at Kakashi's apartment with the paperwork that had taken Naruto's inheritance away.

"So you're absolutely certain this claim of a child of Namikaze Minato-sensei's is complete false?" the woman asked.

"Absolutely. It's absurd. Clearly someone who wishes to take advantage of the prestigious Namikaze family. Perhaps even someone with a grudge. After all, anyone who would make a claim so soon after Minato-san's untimely death can't possibly-"

Naruto flicked off the TV and growled. He stood and stomped over to his laptop. No show was violent enough to ease _this_ mounting rage. He needed to write it out. And write it out he would.

Soon he was frantically typing away, images of a violent and bloody attack on the Namikaze mansion floating through his mind as he imagined the scene.

He always did have a thing for ninja, and so a group of four, dark-clothed shinobi mounting a sneak attack in the dead of night were the perfect heroes of his anger, and made for the perfect way to vent his feelings.

And yet no amount of writing-venting, or knowing what to expect, was enough to prepare him to ride out _this _storm.

The very next day every channel was flooding with the report on the inheritance contest over Namikaze Minato's estate. The details the reporters had still seemed sketchy, as everyone still seemed to be under the impression that it was all a hoax, all some ploy by some unnamed thug who just wanted the attention, or wanted to make a name for himself who didn't actually deserve it.

There was no proof, no way to contest the inheritance. It was obvious the Namikaze family held all rights. Namikaze Minato had no children.

Naruto sighed and curled into himself on the couch. He hadn't planned to spend all day watching this, but it was on every channel. And every time, the reports would come with a picture of his smiling father, and mention of Namikaze's excellent achievements.

And he didn't really feel like doing anything else.

"And we're here with the representative of the Namikaze family, Yakushi Kabuto-sensei," the reporter was saying as he indicated the suited man standing beside him.

There was that man again, the lawyer who represented the Namikaze family, the man who had brought the paperwork which destroyed his life. Naruto pursed his lips and watched.

"Yakushi-sensei, what do you have to say about this recent allegation."

Yakushi pushed up his glasses with his index finger. "Absolutely ridiculous. It is nothing more than someone in desperate need of attention, to make such an outrageous claim."

"So you are certain there is no truth to it?"

"Namikaze Minato-san was never married, and had no children. The family registry is proof enough."

Naruto frowned.

"But what about the possibility of an illegitimate child? Is that also out of the question? Such things happen all the time, after all," the reporter mentioned. Naruto nodded. That did happen all the time, these days. Not that he _was _an illegitimate child, but still.

But Yakushi just laughed. "No. Minato-san was not the type to indulge in such indiscretions. He was a good man, who always respectfully followed his esteemed father's wishes."

Naruto nearly laughed. How ridiculous! That was a load of bull and that glasses-wearing lawyer knew it!

Naruto grit his teeth and kept watching.

"Sounds like Minato-sensei was quite the devoted child."

"He was. He was the ideal heir. It's been a deeply scarring experience for the family, the loss of such a great man. That anyone would attempt to disgrace them in such a way… it truly is a shameful act."

Naruto wanted to throw something at the TV.

But then he'd have to go out and buy a new one. He didn't have time for that. He couldn't miss a moment.

It was almost some sort of cruel torture he was putting himself through. Sasuke had said it himself just the previous day when the reports had first come up, while Naruto had been trying to write but couldn't and Sasuke had been trying to find a channel that _wasn't _talking about it. Naruto was punishing himself, watching all of that stuff, even though he knew it would all just upset him. But he couldn't stop. He needed to know. It had been the same when his father died. At first, he couldn't stop watching.

Then he had ended up on the street and didn't readily have access to a TV.

But now, he couldn't write any more and he couldn't stop watching, and it was all just making him want to destroy something.

Well, all of Sasuke's money had to be good for something, right?

Then came the next twist in the plot.

It was getting later in the day, and Naruto hadn't left the couch. All the major stations were covering the story, and so far, they hadn't deviated much from the assessment that it was all some hoax, some brat trying to get some attention. No one really believed there was any truth to it.

And then Naruto caught sight of Ino-san.

She was dressed in a nice dark-purple colored skirt-suit, purple heels and blonde hair up in a high pony-tail. She looked beautiful and she had the most self-satisfied smirk on her face, if Naruto had ever seen one. And he had seen a lot- he did know Kakashi and Jiraiya, not to mention the two Uchihas, Masters of All That is Self-Absorbed.

He vaguely wondered what she was doing on TV when the story itself finally caught his notice.

"It is said your client is making a claim to the Namikaze fortune left behind by the late Minato-sensei. Yamanaka-sensei, can you please fill us in a bit more on the circumstances?" the man interviewing her began.

The woman beside him scowled as Ino grinned, and decided to jump in. "Obviously, all of this is some joke. Your so-called client is just trying to get some attention."

Ino didn't look happy at the woman's statement, but chose to ignore it- and her. "I would be glad to fill you in. I have it on good authority that there is quite a bit of truth to my client's statement. And in due time, you all will see it for yourselves."

Naruto frowned. "Since when have I been Ino-san's client?" he murmured, turning the volume up a bit.

"Surely you have some kind of proof," the woman interviewing Ino scoffed.

And Ino scoffed right back. "Of course." The two women glared at each other a moment, the man sweating in between their fierce glares.

"Women are scary," Naruto mumbled, feeling sorry for the poor man.

"But as I was saying," Ino finally continued, returning to a more pleasant expression. "We, meaning my partner and I, have it on good authority that our client is in fact the biological son of the late Namikaze Minato-sensei, and that the Namikaze family have no right to have taken Minato-sensei's son's inheritance. We intend to see it returned to the rightful owner."

"Truly, your client is the son of Namikaze Minato-sensei?"

"Undoubtedly. And were you to see him, it would strike you immediately as the truth. My client is rather like his father."

Naruto blushed at her statement and smiled. He had always been told he looked like his father, but his father had always told him he had so much of his mother in him. Either way, it made him happy.

"So you mean to challenge the Namikaze family? How can you justify this? After all, if this client of yours is the son of Minato-sensei, how could the Namikaze family have taken anything from him?"

"Exactly. Everything you say is absurd," the woman said.

"It is not absurd. The Namikaze family took everything through tricks and legal maneuvering. We intend only to set things straight."

"You honestly expect the public to believe the honorable Namikaze family would do such a thing?" the woman asked incredulously. Even the man looked skeptical.

But Ino only smiled. And her smile spoke volumes of information that only she knew.

Naruto could only guess what she was thinking in that moment. Maybe 'Honorable Namikaze family vs. Prestigious Uchiha family- which would you believe'? Naruto shivered at the thought.

But all of that wasn't on the table yet. That much he had gathered from all he had seen reported. No one yet knew the challenge was backed by the Uchiha family.

Naruto swallowed thickly and continued to watch.

The woman had a suspicious look on her face as Ino continued to smile pleasantly. "Yes," Ino was saying. "I do."

War was brewing, and Naruto sat back, waiting for the lightning to strike.


	76. Chapter 76

And it continues!

Not much to say, so enjoy ^_^

Discaimer: don't own

Warnings: unbeta'd, Namikazeness may result in hordes of furious readers wielding pitch-forks

* * *

The news reports were never ending it seemed. Every morning Naruto would trudge over to the couch and flick on the screen, only to be greeted by more of the reports on the situation.

Everyone was still mostly saying the same things. It was all a hoax, just some kid who wants attention. No one really believed Namikaze Minato had a son.

But Ino had been making more frequent appearances 'on behalf' of her client, and more than once had gotten into heated arguments over the information. Still, she was careful, cautious about revealing too much information. It seemed Sasuke and Itachi were waiting for the right moment to reveal their involvement. So in the meantime, Ino was taking all the heat.

It was the third day of the fiasco, and Naruto leaned back on the sofa, waiting to see what the next development would be, not that he expected much change. And so far there was no change; everyone was still making the same tired old arguments over the situation.

Then the door bell rang.

Naruto sighed and stood, fully expecting to be graced with the presence of Kakashi and Jiraiya. They had been over a lot, maybe even more than usual, glued to the TV as he was, devouring the press coverage. But they seemed to be enjoying it all far more than Naruto was.

He pulled open the door, and his eyes widened as they took in his guest. "Ino-san?"

The blonde lawyer swept in through the doorway, quickly dumped her heels by the doorway and made her way across the polished hardwood floor to stand before the TV, watching the image of herself getting into a heated argument with a reporter.

"So what d'ya think?" she asked, turning to look over her shoulder at him, giving him an teasing wink.

He scratched at his nose nervously and shrugged, a lopsided, hesitant smile hovering on his lips. "Not really sure. Things don't seem to be going too well, huh?"

Ino waved the thought away. "Don't be absurd. Everything is going great." She grinned at him and he looked at her in confusion.

"It is?"

"Of course. We have the attention of all of the country, and the Namikaze's are getting looked at a bit more carefully. Even if everyone's saying it's all some big scam, people are paying attention, wondering if maybe there isn't some truth to the matter. And the Namikaze's are feeling it."

She turned back to him fully and pulled out a manila envelope and held it out to him.

"What's that?" He asked as he cautiously approached.

"Take it. It's step one of what we've been waiting for."

"Step one?" Naruto carefully took the offered envelope and opened it, pulling out a piece of paper- a letter. "What's this?" he asked again, this time much more softly.

"It's from your grandfather. That shady lawyer of theirs handed it to me in private. The Namikaze's don't like what's happening. You're just some nobody, no one even knows who my client is, so you haven't had to deal with anything, press or whatever. But the Namikaze family is well known, and they know it's you going against them. They don't like all this bad publicity. So of course they'd want to get in touch with you and stop it before it goes any further. Go on, read it."

Naruto nodded and began to read. And the more he read, the more he didn't like it. And it must have shown on his face, because soon Ino was at his side, trying to peer over and read the letter as well.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"You didn't read it?"

"I didn't think I needed to. We weren't planning on stopping till the end, so I figured it didn't matter what it says." She read for a moment, then frowned. "Sasuke-san isn't going to like this."

Naruto shook his head. "No, he isn't."

Of all the things, this wasn't what he needed. More of their insults, more of their hatred for him. He bit his lip and glanced over the letter again.

_Uzumaki Naruto,_

_On this issue which has previously been discussed, no amount of lies and trickery will gain you anything which rightfully belongs to the Namikaze family, of which you do not belong. Even should you continue this road and attempt to get public interest on your side, you are nothing, and will gain nothing but your own embarrassment. Stop now, or we cannot be held accountable for the shame you will bring upon yourself. _

_You are alone, and your attempts are meaningless. Whatever you and those two who have schemed against us try, you will not succeed. Cease at once, before you do something you cannot take back, and force the hand of the respected Namikaze family. Do not make an enemy you have no chance of defeating._

_Sincerely Yours,_

_Yakushi Kabuto  
Representative of Namikaze Takayuki-sama_

Naruto sighed and put the letter down on the table. "What now?" he asked wearily.

Ino sighed. "I'm going to have to let the Uchiha's know. Looks like it really is time for the next step. Remember Naruto, you are not alone, and the Uchiha's will stand by you no matter what." She paused and grinned. "The Namikaze's were right about one thing, though. You shouldn't make an enemy you have no chance of defeating."

Naruto grinned back.


	77. Chapter 77

Here we go, next chapter. A slight break from revenge. But don't worry, the revenge continues next chapter.

disclaimer: don't own

warning: unbeta'd

* * *

As if work wasn't already annoying enough, what with Itachi being there, and with the additional irritants of the current running headline story and all the annoyance that sprang from it at home, Sasuke had an unexpected surprise when he arrived at work.

It was day three of the Namikaze Inheritance Debacle, and while Naruto whiled away the hours at home, curled up on the couch with a frown marring his face (frowning was Sasuke's job, damnit!), as Ino and Shikamaru handled all the icky parts- namely, public appearances (how Sasuke hated those)- Sasuke now had a new irritant to contend with.

And for once it wasn't Itachi.

Though, in Sasuke's defense, it was an irritant of Itachi's making.

The current nuisance was in the form of a beautiful pink-haired girl. He didn't particularly think her beautiful, he had eyes and had seen Naruto, after all (and _a lot _of him), but the general consensus of all other hormonal men was that she was. The daughter of a politician, which one Sasuke didn't particularly care- politics wasn't his thing- she was rich, dignified, and full of confidence. And she was certain Sasuke was going to be hers.

The fact that he barely noticed her and glared at her in those few seconds he did didn't faze her. She was _positive _they were soul mates. Sasuke just hadn't realized it yet.

Yeah, right.

He held back a growl when he spotted her hovering over his desk, looking through his papers. As if she understood the intricate crap his demonic brother forced on him.

He practically stomped his way over to her, his lips pursed and brow furrowed, but he said nothing as he passed her by. Even though ignoring her never worked, he was too tired from all the press and anxiety Naruto was going through, and thus forcing him to go through, to care about her presence here.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun. Good morning!" she called when she spotted him trudging past her to dump his briefcase on the couch against the wall of his large office.

Just from that greeting alone he could feel his headache approaching. How had she even managed to get into his office? Where the hell was that damn secretary of his?

But he had lots of work to do, and so he figured the best way to get rid of the annoyance faster was to just talk and get it over with. So he grunted an irritated, "What do you want."

She put on her best pout, turning her face coyly to the side and fluttering her lashes at him. "What do you mean? I just wanted to see you. After all, we'll be getting married…"

Sasuke turned quickly on his heels and stomped over to her. "For the last time, we will _not _be getting married. That is nothing more than your and your father's plotting and my brother's trying to get on my nerves. It was never anything more than a suggestion, and never will get past that stage. Now if you have no other purpose here, leave. I'm busy."

Sakura blinked but otherwise made no move to leave. She leaned away from Sasuke's desk and seemed to take a moment to collect her thoughts.

Haruno Sakura was the daughter of some politician who was trying to get in the Uchiha's good graces. He was high up in the Diet and well-connected, but as anyone with any decent amount of intelligence would realize, an in with the Uchiha's was key. The Uchiha's were, after all, a great and powerful family with all sorts of connections. An old, rich family, they knew it all, and their friends were the kinds of friends worth having.

The first step to true happiness and prosperity in this world was through the Uchiha family.

And for the Haruno's, it seemed equally destined that they had a daughter just the right age for the younger son of that great Uchiha family. And the girl, the beautiful, intelligent, well-bred Haruno Sakura seemed to have been groomed for the express purpose of being his bride. And it seemed to have been effective, for she was not free of numerous worthy suitors. It also seemed to be fate that she knew from the first moment she laid eyes on Uchiha Sasuke that they were meant to be.

In fact, since that first day in her younger years, she had been a bit emphatic about her excessive love for the younger son. And it was hardly worth a passing glance that he didn't seem to care for her existence in this world. That could be dealt with later, after they were married and raising their perfect children.

Her father's rise to the Diet was, for her, the most opportune moment. Now, she finally had the prestige to go with everything else that made her perfect for him (she believed), and the Haruno family had taken that moment to be their signal to start ingratiating themselves with the Uchiha's. It also seemed to be fate that Uchiha Itachi, the elder brother and head of the illustrious family took to her immediately and was all ready to rush to a marriage planning stage.

They never questioned it, of course. They were glad to have had such an easy time of it, they had no idea the two primary factors had nothing to do with the girl, the family, or their current position in society. Two reasons- to annoy Sasuke, who Itachi of course knew would be against it and irritated from the beginning, and as another method of getting his dear little brother to overcome his… _issue_.

And as expected, the introduction on that fateful night of Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura was exactly as Itachi had predicted.

Sasuke had glared, the girl had flirted, and Sasuke stormed off in a huff first chance he got.

It just so happened that it had been particularly wet and rainy that night, and that Sasuke, who had risked sickness to get as far away from his devil brother, the irritating parasitic girl, and all those other flocks of idiotic females, had stumbled across a certain beautiful blond passed out in the rain…

That night was supposed to be all about them, Sakura and her wonderful Sasuke. She had it all planned out. They were going to spend the whole evening together, dancing, staring lovingly into each other's eyes. She was going to be coy, witty, with just a bit of shyness at just the right times. She was going to wear her fitting red dress that fit her perfectly, as though it was meant for her slim, feminine body. It even went well with her green eyes and strawberry hair, hair she had spent hours on, making it smooth and shiny and soft. She could picture him running his fingers through the strands, whispering about how beautiful she was.

They were supposed to fall madly in love that night, and then he would sweep her away from the crowds of jealous admirers and whisk her to a private room…

Everything had played out perfectly in her mind, but the moment she stepped into that room the whole plan had gone to hell.

He was glaring. Though she smiled brightly, peeking up shyly at him through her long lashes which fluttered delicately at him, his intense glare only grew. At which point he turned to his grinning elder brother and began arguing with him. The tones were harsh but hushed, and she couldn't hear what they were saying above the tinkling noises of the surrounding guests.

But he was definitely angry. How could they be lovely-dovey when he was in a bad mood?

She frowned at Itachi, furious at whatever he had done to upset her beloved and ruin her plans.

But Uchiha Itachi was still grinning as Sasuke persisted in his argument, apparently unaware of the fury that was enveloping the pretty girl before him.

Finally Itachi waved Sasuke's concerns away and turned back to the Haruno's, who had been patiently waiting for a proper introduction.

"Haruno-sensei, Konbanwa(1). And this must be the lovely Sakura-chan." Itachi eyed her thoroughly, taking in her appearance and appraising it briefly.

"Yes, this is my daughter," her father replied, bowing respectfully. "I do hope she lives up to your expectations, Itachi-sama."

Itachi made no move to either agree or disagree, but only indicated to his scowling younger brother. "This is Sasuke. I do hope this match will work out to both of our likings," Itachi said, his sadistic grin intensifying as Sasuke's glare turned yet more fierce.

"As do I," Haruno agreed as he tried to stifle a very pleased grin.

Sakura took that moment to step forward and bow gracefully, feeling her cheeks heat as she stared at Sasuke's handsome face. The face of the man she was certain to marry.

He made some sort of grunt and offered a half-hearted bow in return, but though it was sloppily done on his part, it still appeared as elegant and graceful as it would have been if done with great care by any other person.

She nearly swooned at the sight, giddy that it was done for her, never realizing he didn't care what she thought in the least, but was only considering his options for getting as far away from her as soon as possible, and ensuring that no match was made at all.

"Well, now that the necessary introductions are done, Sasuke, why don't you take the beautiful lady for a dance?" Itachi's smirk grew when he spotted the irritated tick in Sasuke's eye, and decided it would be yet more fun to add the killing blow. "And I don't mind if you two disappear together somewhere. Ne, Sasuke?"

"Fuck you," Sasuke growled under his breath, his glare intensifying to the point Itachi was almost surprised he hadn't burst into flames yet. Then Sasuke turned on his heels and stormed off into the crowds. Sakura blinked in confusion a moment before taking off after him, stumbling a bit in her high red heels as she followed after him, only thinking how furious she was with Itachi for whatever he had done to make her beloved so angry he had forgotten she wasn't on his arm yet…

She had found him and gotten her dance, and she just knew she was in heaven as she pressed up against him on the dance floor, smiling at all the jealous faces of the women surrounding them.

But as soon as the dance was over, he had muttered something about the bathroom and she hadn't seen him since. After waiting for nearly half an hour in the same spot, she returned to her father's side, who was spending the whole of the evening mingling with the many other important invited guests. But she always kept her eyes out for her love.

When she finally caught sight of him again, he was storming out of the building, and as she rushed to catch up to him, she was forced to stop when he made his way out into the rain. By the time she had gathered her jacket and umbrella to follow, he was nowhere to be seen.

Her perfect evening had been a complete and utter failure.

But she hadn't given up. The engagement was already secure, and just because she hadn't been able to see him at all in the month that followed the party was irrelevant. She was soon to become his wife, and they would then have the rest of their lives to fall in love.

Then she had gotten a break. She had managed, through her father's numerous connections, to get an invitation into the building in which Sasuke worked, and had promptly made her way there, up to his office, and in his presence again.

She hadn't stopped visiting at least once a week since. Even if he always looked upset to see her there.

"Sasuke-kun," she finally began, "I just wanted to see you. Isn't that enough of a reason to be here? I love you, after all." She blushed at her admission, though she had said it so many times already in her many previous visits. "And, well, Christmas is coming up-"

He froze. He knew that dreaded day was coming, but to be reminded of it now…

It had always been an annoyance to him. As the day approached, year after year, girls would swarm on him, all asking to spend that all important day with him. Christmas and Valentines and White Day, those three were the bane of his existence(2).

But he had noticed it as well, every time a commercial had come on about the upcoming day, Naruto would glance at him, would assess him carefully, see how Sasuke reacted to the words coming from the commercial. Sasuke wasn't stupid, he knew what Naruto was thinking.

Thinking, but hadn't said.

Sasuke held back the small smile trying to make its way onto his face. That was one of those things that separated his blond from everyone else. That was one of those important factors that made Naruto so desirable to Sasuke.

Naruto, unlike all those others who claimed to love him, such as the irritating girl behind him, Naruto actually understood him. Naruto actually took the time to see Sasuke as he was. There were no fantasies, no assumptions, no illusions about who Sasuke was to Naruto. Naruto knew Sasuke, knew he was a bastard, a pervert, a sometimes sadistic jerk, with a bad temper.

And he _still_ loved him.

Sasuke let his eyes shut at the intensity of the thought.

He'd do _anything_ for his blond. Even endure the irritation of a Christmas.

No, not _endure_. If it was with Naruto, he'd spend a Christmas doing whatever lovey-dovey things the blond wanted to do, and he'd _enjoy_ it. He'd enjoy it, _because_ it was _Naruto_.

And that made all the difference that mattered.

Sasuke took a deep breath and turned back to the girl who still leaned against his desk, trying to look seductive and sweet at the same time. There were a great many things he wanted to say, many things he _could_ say, to get his point across. But in the end, he just smirked and kept it simple. "I have plans."

"Plans?" she blinked at him. Then her face went red, and he thought maybe he had kept it too simple. She was almost as dense as his own idiotic blond.

"Hn. Yes, plans. With someone else." He looked at her pointedly. "I have Christmas plans with someone who _isn't you_."

The redness in her face slowly drained away to an almost ghostly white. "W-with… someone else?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Wh-What do you…"

Sasuke slowly made his way to his desk, that smirk still overtaking his features.

She was confused, and she voiced that confusion with great difficulty. "But how… we're going to be married!"

Sasuke's smirk dropped and he glared at her. "For the last time, there is no way I'm marrying you. Especially now that I have someone."

Sakura shook her head fiercely. "No! We're going to marry. It has already been agreed on!"

Sasuke sighed and rubbed his head, feeling that headache resurfacing. He hated girls' tears. Not because it moved him, or made him feel bad, but because it was just annoying. They were always harder to get rid of when they cried.

"Itachi never had any intention of us marrying. Ask your father. No plans have ever been actually made for a wedding, and none ever will. I'll remind nii-san to let your father know the situation."

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried, rushing towards him to wrap her arms around him. But he side-stepped her, and she nearly lost her balance and fell to the floor. "Sasuke-kun, please!" she begged him.

"If you're finished, please leave. I have lots of work to do," was all Sasuke said in reply.

She held herself back as best she could and did as he asked, walking out of the building with as much dignity as she could. But regardless, she had made up her mind. She _was_ going to marry Uchiha Sasuke. No matter what.

* * *

(1) Good Evening

(2) FYI, in case you don't know, these three are big couples days in Japan. Christmas is more a lover's holiday than a family thing like here in the States, Valentines day is where girls give guys chocolate, White Day is the day boys return the gift.


	78. Chapter 78

Here we are, the next chapter. And in this one we are back to the revenge plot. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: me no own

Warnings: more Namikaze evilness, unbeta'd

* * *

It seemed it really was time for Step Two.

And what was Step Two? Naruto hadn't known at first, but as he stood there as some random lady powdered his face with some weird stuff to prepare him for live TV, he had a scary idea.

Ino was talking in whispers with Shikamaru a few feet away, the male lawyer leaning against the wall, looking for all the world like all he wanted to do was slide down the hard surface and take a nap. After all, the whole way to the TV station he had been muttering something about how fluffy the clouds looked.

Naruto bit his lip and glanced again at the lady now messing with his hair.

"Ano, Ino-san? Why am I here again?"

Ino stopped her scolding and turned to the blond male and smiled winningly. "Why? Because you're the face of this whole campaign! Up till now everything has been about the son of Namikaze Minato-sensei who appeared out of nowhere to go against the prosperous Namikaze family. But no one knew anything about you beside that much. But now," she lifted a finger for emphasis, "we'll bring you out into the fight. Once people see you, they'll be more likely to empathize, and that will cost the Namikaze's even more."

"But," Naruto pulled at his collar nervously, "are you sure this is a good idea? You've been doing fine without me."

Ino sighed and lightly smacked him on the head. "We've managed so far, but people are still skeptical. And after that stupid letter, the Namikaze's can't really expect us to just back off. We've gotta push back harder."

The letter, the existence of which, after much debating, had been determined to remain out of the Uchiha's knowledge. Naruto and Ino-san could only imagine the terror the revelation of it could bring. Which would be nice, to see the Namikaze's squirm, but Ino-san had mentioned something about "timing". It would be better just take take the next step on their own, without involving the Uchihas. Besides, Sasuke had left things in Ino and Shikamaru's hands, so it wouldn't be strange to go ahead.

And so they started with the next step. They had to turn up the pressure.

After all, if the Namikazes insisted Naruto had no backing, they would just have to be shown how wrong they were, and build him some.

And so here he was, waiting to make his first ever TV appearance.

"But-"

"No buts," Ino scolded. Naruto shut his mouth and nodded dumbly. "We have Sasuke-san and Itachi-sama's support. So just deal with it. Don't worry, you'll be fine. And me _and_ Shikamaru will be right there. _Right_, Shika?" The last bit was thrown out at the other lawyer, who sighed and shrugged.

Naruto wasn't sure that thought was all that comforting. He would much rather have Sasuke there.

"Anyways, Naruto, just let us do all the talking. Just stand there and look cute and innocent, and everything will go great," Ino grinned.

"Cute? How the hell am I supposed to look 'cute'? I'm a guy, you know."

Ino shrugged the information off and turned back to Shikamaru, scolding him again about something or other. Naruto just sighed in defeat.

But was just being present really supposed to do any good? Was he really expected to just be seen and not heard? To him, that didn't seem like it would help all that much. Not from what he had seen from all the press so far.

Then he caught sight of the lawyer. He couldn't recall the name, but he was the one who kept appearing on TV as the representative of the Namikaze family, the same one who had appeared at Kakashi's apartment all those months ago.

He looked harmless enough, but that smug look on his face told a different story. That and all the crap Naruto had seen him pull on TV and in that apartment all those months ago. He could only imagine what that damn lawyer was going to try on TV with him there.

And with the Namikaze family backing the shady lawyer up, he just knew it wasn't going to be good.

Naruto bit his lip and held back a sigh. The dressing lady was straightening his shirt, and he glanced over at Ino and Shikamaru. Ino was rifling through a stack of papers she must have pulled out of the briefcase leaning against the wall, and Shikamaru was rubbing at his forehead with one hand, his head leaned back against the wall and his eyes closed.

Just as Naruto was starting to debate on his chances of escape, a woman appeared with a clipboard and indicated to the stage. "Yamanaka-sensei, Yakushi-sensei, they're ready for you."

Ino quickly grabbed both boys by their collars and headed toward the stage, somehow knowing if she hadn't done so they both would have bolted out the door.

She left them at the edge of the stage in the shadows and stepped forward. She turned back briefly and scanned the two of them. "I'll start it off. Shikamaru, I'm counting on you. When the moment is right, you bring Naruto forward, alright? Naruto?"

Naruto glanced up at her, his stomach in knots.

The blond lawyer seemed to sense his nervousness and she smiled. "It'll be okay. You aren't alone, remember?"

Naruto blinked at her and smiled in return. "Right," he murmured.

She nodded and turned back to the stage and the people congregating in the center of it and approached them. Ino was all calm and poise, and Naruto envied her easy attitude. But then, it wasn't her on trial in front of all of Japan.

He bit his lip and waited, his body trembling with the nerves. He wasn't sure what to expect, but when he saw the lawyer Yakushi approach Ino from the other end of the stage, he knew it wouldn't be good, not from the smile on Yakushi's face, or the way the lights on the stage seemed to glint off of his wide framed glasses.

Then it began. He could vaguely hear the conversation, the male and female interviewers beginning in the usual fashion, explaining the situation and the continued refusal to believe Ino and her client were anything but a couple of money-grubbing nutcases.

The man started it off first. "Yamanaka-sensei, you continue to insist in front of all of Japan that the Namikazes' unlawfully took inheritance that belonged to the rightful heir to the late Namikaze Minato-sensei, despite the fact that Namikaze-sensei had no children, a well-known fact. And despite the fact the Namikaze family are all well-connected, honorable people."

"Do you really intend to make a fool of yourself and your client by continuing this charade?" the female interviewer added in.

"A fool?" Ino smiled. "Trust me, I am no fool, and you'd be wise to remember that. The Namikaze family is not as honorable or respectable as so many seem to believe."

"It's dangerous to make an enemy of such a powerful family. They have many connections, all of which have begun to stir," the man continued.

"I have no doubt of that. But that doesn't put them in the right."

"And what have you to say, Yakushi-sensei?" the woman asked the other lawyer.

Yakushi pushed up his glasses with his finger and smiled. Naruto shivered at the sight of it.

"This attempt is disturbing. The family having to endure such a thing is disgraceful enough. Yamanaka-sensei, I believe, would do well to put this all to bed. She's making a mockery of herself, and this so-called client."

Ino grit her teeth as the two reporters nodded in agreement to Yakushi's words.

"I'll have you all know this is nowhere near over. And while you all continue to make your warnings about who we're going up against, my partner and I are building a more solid case. Trust me, none of you know what you're dealing with."

Naruto swallowed thickly. "Ano, Shikamaru-san, isn't she getting a little carried away?" Naruto whispered to his companion.

Shikamaru sighed. "Stay here."

Languidly Shikamaru strode onto the stage, leaving Naruto alone in the shadows. He joined Ino at her side and lightly lifted a hand onto her shoulder, reining her back.

"What my partner is trying to say is, the public is still lacking in some very important information. We, however, have steadily been gathering this information, and we believe we have a very strong case. We will not go down lightly, and we have every intention of fighting till the bitter end."

Naruto pursed his lips. They were trying so hard for him. Sure this was a paid job, but they were really taking it to heart. Even the laid-back Shikamaru was standing tall and was dead serious in his words. They were really going to fight it out with all they had.

The two reporters, and even the other lawyer Yakushi seemed a bit taken aback at his words. Shikamaru glanced at Ino. "Think it's time?"

Ino composed herself and nodded, then she glanced in Naruto's direction and waved him over. "I think," she began, turning back to the two reporters and then the camera presenting them to the entire nation, "It's about time Japan met Namikaze Minato's son."

She grinned, and Naruto took a deep breath, not really hearing the sudden chatter of the two reporters, or even really noticing the change of expression on Yakushi's face. Then he walked forward, into the light of the stage and where Ino and Shikamaru were waiting, smiling at him.

Seeing their faces, calm and soothing, and Ino's bright smile and outstretched hand eased the nervousness, and he concentrated only on them, only on getting to their sides. Whatever happened next, they would be there with him. He would be okay.

Ino turned once more to the camera and pulled Naruto to her side, a steadying hand on his back as one held his arm. "Allow me to introduce our client, Uzumaki Naruto."

The next day, the news reports would be buzzing. After all, the client claiming to be the son of Namikaze Minato was the spitting image of the late writer.


	79. Chapter 79

And we continue...

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: surprise guest, unbeta'd

* * *

It was a little scary, how easy that first appearance had been.

Ino insisted on doing all the talking, neither she nor Shikamaru would allow any questions to be answered by Naruto, and any that were directed to him were either ignored or interrupted.

But Naruto knew it was only going to get harder.

After all, every channel was talking about it. His picture was plastered on every station, the scene of his appearance on the stage repeatedly being played. And Ino and Shikamaru were getting calls galore asking to have Naruto go on show after show. He really had become the face of their campaign.

It made him anxious.

He knew the Namikaze's weren't going to take this lightly. He knew they weren't going to be happy about his appearance, making it even more personal. Making them look even worse in the public eye.

Of course, they still believed he didn't stand a chance, that he had no case, that there was no way he was going to outmaneuver them. But that wasn't going to help him much in the meantime.

He was flipping channels, as he usually was these days, looking for something that wasn't about him and his father. His laptop was open on his lap, the cursor blinking at him, waiting for him to write something. But so far, nothing was coming to mind. He was far too distracted.

Then the door bell chimed.

Naruto sat up abruptly, his attention focusing in on the door. It had been a while since Kakashi and Jiraiya had last actually bothered to ring the doorbell. Itachi-san and Mariko-san never rang the doorbell. And these days, even Ino-san and Shikamaru had taken it upon themselves to just invite themselves in to the apartment.

And just the day before Ino-san had warned Naruto that the Namikaze's were looking for him and might try something...

He took a deep breath and carefully padded his way to the door, just as it chimed again. Then there was knocking.

The blond took a deep breath, positioning himself in a defensive position by the door, making his way inch by inch, closer to the peephole to assess the danger.

The door chimed again, furiously.

"Yo! Naruto, you here or what?"

Naruto jumped and his mouth dropped open. He knew that voice!

He dashed forward and pulled the door open, and there he was, still standing with his finger over the chime. His best friend, Inuzuka Kiba.

"Kiba!" Naruto shouted, then dashed forward and enveloped the dog-lover in a hug.

"Yo, dude, seriously, do you need to hug me?"

"Hey, mutt-boy, I missed you!" Naruto shot back, pulling away, then motioning him in, closing the door behind his friend. "Damn, Kiba. It's been forever!"

"Yeah, no thanks to you. Dude, you totally ditched me! What's with the disappearing like that? And then suddenly appearing on TV! I mean, what the hell, Naruto?"

"Hehe," Naruto laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck as he grinned at his best friend. "It's a really long story." But then his expression changed. "Hey, how did you find me?"

"Hm? When I saw you on TV, I managed to locate Kakashi's phone number. Didn't even know if it was still good, but it worked! He gave me your address. And damn…" Kiba whistled as he scanned the room. "This place is something…"

Naruto grinned. "Yeah. It's great."

Kiba glanced at him suspiciously. "Seriously though, you gonna explain what's going on? I mean, one day everything's the same as it always was, the next day you disappear without a word, and then you're all of a sudden on TV? And living in this… seriously awesome apartment." He indicated the apartment, gradually taking in all the features, eyes landing for a moment on that infamous picture of ramen on the counter and grinning at it. Typical Naruto.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Yeah, well, it wasn't really as sudden as you make it seem. A lot… has happened. And a lot of it… not even I believe, sometimes. So… I'll tell you everything, but don't freak out when I do."

"Freak out? Why would I freak out?"

Naruto glanced around the apartment and sighed. He couldn't hide his relationship with Sasuke, not from Kiba. And he couldn't say for sure how his friend would react to it. But…

"Just, listen?"

"Of course," Kiba grinned.

Naruto smiled back and made his way to the couch, flicking the TV off and indicating for Kiba to have a seat. "Want anything to drink?" Naruto asked, remembering to try to be a good host.

Kiba glanced around the apartment and grinned. "Maybe later. Now tell me," Kiba replied.

Naruto sighed and sat down. Then he began the long story of what his life had become since the day his father died.

To his credit, Kiba just sat and listened quietly, his expression changing, but never saying a word. Naruto paused a moment when he explained about Sasuke, and about their current relationship, but Kiba didn't speak. For a second Naruto thought he might have spotted some surprise in Kiba's expression, but it passed and returned to a blank face.

Finally his story came to an end, explaining the ideas behind the current situation. He looked up again at Kiba, waiting for his old friend's take on everything. Was it okay?

Kiba leaned back on the comfy couch and stared at the large TV screen before him. "That… kinda sucks." He glanced back at Naruto and grinned. "But you got me, now!"

Naruto blinked once, then his face broke out into a massive grin. "Kiba!"

"Never knew you liked guys, though." Kiba eyed him critically. "Don't fall in love with me, though."

"Che, as if. You're not my type. I like actual hot guys," Naruto replied.

"Hey, I'm hot! Super hot!"

"Not like Sasuke…" Naruto murmured, already picturing Sasuke standing casually by the doorway, that usual frown on his face. Such a beautiful expression…

"Oi, dobe, what is this?"

Naruto snapped out of it and glanced at the doorway, where sure enough, the real thing stood glaring at the doorway, having just walked in to see his lover alone with another man. Pissed couldn't even begin to explain what he was feeling.

"Ah, Sasuke," Naruto called, jumping up from his seat and making his way to his newly arrived lover. "Okaeri(1)! Guess who came over!"

Sasuke glared at the new guest who had stood from his seat on the couch and was silently assessing the new arrival. "And how the hell should I know?" Sasuke ground out.

"Eh? Oh, right. Hehe. Sasuke, this is Inuzuka Kiba, my best friend. Remember? I told you about him before, right?"

The irritation lessened, along with that other tightening feeling in his gut, and he glanced down at Naruto who was now at his side. "Your friend?"

"Yeah. He saw me on TV and got the address from Kakashi. He came to visit!"

Sasuke scoffed and took his shoes off, entering into the apartment as casually as ever as he made his way to the bedroom. He glared at their guest for a moment before vanishing into the room.

Kiba blinked at the empty doorway before pointing and glancing at his blond friend. "Who was _that_?"

"Hehe, I told you," Naruto grinned. "It's Sasuke!"

"Whoa… you mean," Kiba looked again at the door, his mouth hanging open. "isn't that guy Uchiha Sasuke?"

"Eh? You know him?"

"Know _of_ him. Doesn't everyone? He's, like, freakin' famous. An Uchiha, blondie, an _U-chi-ha_!"

Naruto felt a little silly, the fact that he hadn't known anything about the Uchiha's before he met Sasuke, and yet Kiba seemed to be pretty familiar with their existence. "Um, yeah?"

Kiba smacked his head, then eyed Naruto suspiciously. "You mean, he's your boyfriend or whatever? An Uchiha?"

Kiba looked impressed. "Damn."

Naruto shrugged nonchalantly. "It… just kinda happened, you know? Like I said. It's not like I _chose _him."

Kiba nodded as he pondered the whole situation over once again, the pieces beginning to fall into place more readily. Then he glanced again at Naruto.

"So when do we eat here?"

Naruto grinned.

Sasuke sighed from the bedroom, where he could still easily hear the conversation going on outside as removed his tie and loosened his shirt. _Great, another freeloader_.

* * *

(1) I think I've used this word in the story before, but it's been a while... "Okaeri" more familiar version of "Okaerinasai"- "Welcome Home"


	80. Chapter 80

Here we go, next chapter!

Disclaimer: me no own

Warning: more Namikaze evilness, unbeta'd

* * *

Naruto was going crazy.

He was sitting at the table, chin resting on the edge of the wood as he stared blankly at that taunting, blinking cursor.

It was so cruel, that little blinking line. The blond could almost hear it laughing at him and his completely blank mind. But he couldn't help it, he had no idea what to write, he was too distracted with everything that was going on.

The newest reports were not very flattering. The Namikaze's had really taken the next step and were making things really hard for his side. It had seemed like everything was going to go their way, once Naruto had finally made an appearance. People were starting to doubt the Namikazes. Maybe they didn't outright say it, but there was hesitancy building.

After all, Naruto really did look a great deal like Namikaze Minato.

And then someone had come forward with that book, Namikaze sensei's book which was dedicated to his son. That had raised a great deal of questions, and many started to ask if there really wasn't some truth to the claim.

But the Namikaze family had come back strong. They didn't appreciate the personal strike to their family, and the public strike to their pride. And after all, they were masters at lying, and so they had quickly fabricated cover-ups.

First there was the book dedication. That, the Namikaze's claimed, was to a child who was _like_ a son to Minato, but was actually his nephew- his sister's son.

Naruto almost threw up when he saw his cousin, that same cousin who had beat him senseless when he was out on the street and taken his necklace, standing on that stage being interviewed, bull-shitting the interviewers and the whole of Japan so they would think he knew the slightest thing about Namikaze Minato.

And then she was there- his ex-girlfriend. Grinning and fluttering her lashes at the camera, arm wrapped around that bastard's.

And she was wearing his necklace.

Naruto grit his teeth and held back the urge to yell and throw something at the poor, innocent TV. It was all Sasuke could do at the time to pull Naruto away, turn the TV off, and get Naruto into the bedroom where he could rant and rave without added stimulation until he could be subdued with kisses and comfort (and ultimately sex).

That had seemed to help- the physical contact. Being reminded he wasn't alone; he had someone there for him, no matter what.

Sasuke couldn't count the number of times Naruto had muttered "I love you" that night.

Next had been the shot at Naruto himself. He was made out to be some upstart brat from who knows where, who only wanted the attention and thought to defile the Namikaze pride by stirring things up. Had they not suffered enough with the loss of a dear member of the family? Why was Japan indulging someone who was so obviously a fake?

Sure, the brat looked a bit like Namikaze Minato, but it was probably all a fake-out. He had probably dyed his hair, was wearing contacts. After all, the Namikaze's had the family registry to prove it- Namikaze Minato had no children.

Naruto had clung to his pillow then, when he had heard that claim again. He ground his teeth and tried not to go into another fit.

Ino and Shikamaru were doing their best, after all. They were still fighting, still trying to stem the flow of lies that seemed to rain down on them all. Those echoing, thunderous lies that filled the air.

And now Naruto was exhausted. He didn't know what to write. How could he write, how could he work on his father's great works when his mind was a tumultuous mess?

He sighed and absent-mindedly played with the edge of the notebook beside his hand, flittering through the pages. Maybe he should call Kiba for some company? The dog lover had school today, but he had said he would come over immediately if Naruto needed him…

He was a good friend, Naruto smiled to himself. The blond had missed the guy.

He really had, as Sasuke had feared, become a regular visitor, but as he always had been, he was forever ready to cheer the blond up. He was good at helping get Naruto's mind off of everything that was going on.

And his quick suggestion to get a game system and a load of games had helped. It provided noise and a distraction, and the TV could be on without that story filling the screen.

Naruto glanced at the computer screen again, watched the cursor blink impatiently. He sighed, then sat upright and placed his fingers, then began to type.

It must have been an hour later when there was a loud pounding at the door.

Naruto bolted upright in his chair, his mind quickly escaping the trance he had just been under, his fingers stilling.

The pounding continued, seeming to get just a bit more frantic as it did. The incessant sound finally got Naruto to move, and he made his way to the door, frown stretching across his face.

"Naruto!" Kiba exclaimed as soon as the door opened to reveal him. "Shit! You'll never guess what happened!" And Kiba stormed into the room, quickly dumping his shoes by the door and waving a piece of crumpled up paper in his hand.

"Geez, Kiba, calm down. " Naruto grumbled. He followed his friend to the couch, where Kiba unceremoniously dumped himself on the soft cushions. Naruto glanced at the clock. "Shouldn't you still be in class?"

Naruto couldn't claim to still be up to date on his friend's schedule, not after all the time that had passed, but he did know Kiba had explicitly told him he had class until five. It was only a little after three.

Kiba sat upright and gritted his teeth, revealing again that crumpled up paper. "As if I could sit through class with this… _this_… _vile_ little…" Kiba was nearly growling at the innocent paper resting on his hand.

Naruto frowned and decided he didn't need any more drama and took the thing. He uncrumpled it and spread it out on the table by his work, smoothing it so it would be legible again. Then he read it.

_Inuzuka Kiba._

_We know you are hiding him. Reveal him and your precious clinic will be spared._

Naruto's eyes went wide. "Wha-"

So maybe it wasn't such an innocent piece of paper after all. Naruto wanted to rip the thing to small, indiscernible pieces; so tiny dust would tower over them like mountains.

He knew what it meant, knew what it was. There was no doubt it was a threat from the Namikaze's. They, of course, would know who Naruto's best friend is. And they would likewise easily assume Kiba knew where Naruto would be hiding. And it was also easy to see they would use that knowledge to lure Naruto out.

And using the clinic…

The Namikaze's had connections, of course. And so it would be easy for them to find out what Kiba's weakness would be. And it was especially easy to find. The veterinary clinic his family ran was everything to Kiba. For as long as Naruto had known him Kiba would spend every available minute helping out there. It meant everything to all of his family.

And the Namikaze's could easily destroy it if they didn't get what they wanted.

Naruto bit his lip.

The Namikaze's couldn't find him, so they used Kiba. They had already taken everything from Naruto, now they were going after the people Naruto cared about.

"I'll talk to Sasuke," Naruto said.

"No!" Kiba shot up. In the week or so since he had rediscovered his friend, he had become relatively familiar with the way Uchiha Sasuke worked, and it was easy enough to see how he would react to something like this. "Don't be stupid. He'll go crazy. We don't need to do that."

"Well then, what should we do?"

Kiba shook his head and sank back on to the couch, eyes unfocused on the ceiling.

"I should give myself up. That's what I should do," Naruto muttered. He knew that was what he needed to do. For Kiba.

"Idiot," Kiba growled, punching Naruto on the head soundly. "That's not an option."

"But the clinic-"

"Will be fine. You really think my mom's just gonna stand by and let the clinic go? Hell no!" Naruto grinned. "'Sides, it's just a building. They can't get rid of the feelings behind it." Kiba grinned. "Even if there's no building, my mom and sis and I will help from the back alleys."

Naruto nodded.

"So what do we do?" Naruto sat down at the table. "We can't just let it go. And even if we don't tell Sasuke, we gotta do _something_."

Kiba nodded in agreement. "Damn those Namikazes. Piss me off," Kiba grunted.

Naruto nodded. He was racking his brain, but what could they do? Especially without letting Sasuke know about it.

Then Naruto grinned. "Hey, Ki-ba," Naruto singsonged. Kiba looked up.

"I got it."


	81. Chapter 81

And the continuation of the Most Evil Cliff Hanger of Doom from last chapter. Here we go!

Also, I have over 2000 reviews for this story! Yosh!

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: unbeta'd

* * *

The first step in Naruto's plan was bringing Shikamaru and Ino in on it. After all, they were the means through which they were going to pay the Namikaze's back for their threat. Plus, the two could probably do some kind of legal maneuvering to defend the Inuzuka's clinic.

So he called Ino up, and within the hour both lawyers were lounging in the living room with Naruto and Kiba, and had been pulled up to speed on the current situation.

"Why those… _despicable_…" Ino fumed. She shook her fist at the invisible enemy before her, ready to lash out and punish someone. Shikamaru took a lazy step back.

"So what do you intend to do?" the laid-back lawyer asked.

Naruto grinned. Ever since the idea first struck him, he had been planning, thinking it all over in his head. The more he thought it over, the more he liked it. "Well… I thought it might be fun if we could let a few… _secrets_ out about them."

Everyone jumped in surprise. Through every sadistic idea the Uchihas had come up with, Naruto had been hesitant. It had taken so much convincing to get him to go along with the plan. So for him to suddenly _suggest_ something so maniacal…

"Are you… _sure_ about that, Naruto?" Ino asked. Shikamaru was looking skeptically at Naruto.

Kiba, on the other hand, was grinning like a mad man. "Shit, yeah."

"Oh, I'm sure. Do they think they can do all that crap, threaten those people important to me? I mean…" Naruto paused and pursed his lips. "I've put up with a lot from them. They've been horrible to me ever since my dad's death. One thing after another, they've tried to make life hell for me. And I've endured it. I can deal with all the crap. I've managed so far somehow. But I will not just sit back and let them threaten the people important to me. _Hell no_."

Kiba nodded in agreement. "Let's make 'em _pay_!" he shouted eagerly.

"So what did you have in mind? What do you know?" Shikamaru asked, hands resting in his pockets and a half-interested look on his face.

"Well," Naruto tilted his head back, his eyes focused in on the ceiling. "I can't actually admit to knowing much. I really didn't even know about them at all until after I lost my dad." He looked back at his friends sitting around him. "He never talked about them, so I really don't know any secrets that might work to our advantage."

The two lawyers and Kiba sweat dropped.

"How exactly does you not knowing anything help us?" Shikamaru muttered.

"Do you plan on just making stuff up?" Kiba asked.

"I'm not so sure that will work," Ino replied hesitantly.

Naruto shook his head. "I can't admit to knowing anything," and he grinned, "but I'll bet Kakashi and Jiraiya know _loads_ of juicy stuff."

Ino's eyes widened and Shikamaru looked slightly interested again.

"Yeah. They gotta know stuff!" Kiba agreed.

Naruto nodded. "Oh yeah. My dad might not have told me anything about them, but Kakashi and Jiraiya have known my dad for years. And Jiraiya was his trusted sensei. I have no doubt my dad confided all kinds of things in him. And they totally hate the Namikazes, so I know they'll help."

Kiba grinned, starting to feel giddy.

"Well, I think we'll have to hear what they say first. Even if we suspect they know something, they might not actually."

"The Namikaze family are well respected," Shikamaru added in. "Any claim we make will have to be supportable or it could back-fire."

"And we have to keep in mind that they might not actually have anything we could use." Ino put a finger to her lips and thought. "They could only have minor information no one would be interested in. We have to have some pretty juicy information for your plan to work."

"Oh, I'm not too worried," Naruto replied. "Even if they don't have anything, I do."

"Dude, I thought you just said you didn't know anything," Kiba replied, looking confused.

"I don't know anything about the Namikazes, but I know plenty about something they definitely don't want anyone to know about." Everyone looked really interested now. "And it's totally relevant to our situation, too."

"Well, spill already," Kiba griped.

Naruto smiled. "My mom."

The three exchanged glances, not getting his meaning. "There's a reason the Namikazes hate me, and it has to do with my mom. They thought she was below my dad, that being associated with her would bring down the family. That's why they wouldn't let my dad marry her and why he left the family. It's why they're doing all this to me now."

"So if we expose this secret-" Ino began.

"Which would also explain your existence-" Shikamaru continued.

"We'll totally piss them off!" Kiba exclaimed.

"They definitely won't like it," Ino agreed. She grinned. "Alright, let's do it!"

Naruto was kind of excited. But he paused, needing to say one more thing. "Is there anything you can do in the meantime- to protect Kiba's family?"

"I told you not to worry about that," Kiba grumbled.

"Don't worry, we got you covered," Ino replied.

"Great! Oh, and I think I should do it."

"Do what?" Ino asked, suddenly thrown off topic.

"Tell everyone. I know you didn't want me talking to those reporters or whatever, but I want to talk. I want to be the one to tell all of Japan about all the shit the Namikazes have pulled. "

Ino and Shikamaru exchanged glances. "Are you sure Naruto?" Ino asked.

"We can't protect you as well like that," Shikamaru added.

"Once you speak, those interviewers are going to pounce. They'll show you no mercy, especially if you're going up against the Namikazes. They have a lot of powerful allies." Ino was obviously concerned, and Naruto was grateful for that.

"Well, you do have the Uchihas though," Shikamaru mentioned.

Naruto smiled and nodded. "I wanna do it. I'll take the risks."

"Come to think of it," Shikamaru mumbled thoughtfully, "didn't Itachi-san say something about knowing things the Namikazes wouldn't want let out?"

"Ah, that's right! We can ask Itachi-sama!"

"No," Naruto replied, shaking his head.

"What? Why not?" Ino asked. "We need information, Naruto."

"I don't want either of the Uchiha knowing about the threat. If they find out, they'll both get pissed and the Namikazes will be wiped off the planet."

Ino and Shikamaru shuddered. "True," Ino murmured.

"Is that a bad thing?" Kiba murmured. But then, he still had yet to meet Uchiha Itachi. "Then what now?" he asked.

"We'll have to schedule something," Ino began, pulling about a day planner from her purse and going through it. "We've got plenty to choose from. I'm always getting calls about interviews for you. Now let's see…" And she began to thumb through all the possible candidates for a good place to make their announcements. "It'll have to be someone a little more sympathetic…"

"You're sure about this?" Shikamaru asked again.

Naruto nodded. "I'm sure. This time, I really wanna make them pay. They can do whatever to me, but I'm not gonna let them mess with anyone else."

"Oh, we'll make them pay alright," Ino nodded, pulling out her phone. "This is gonna be fun." She smiled and winked at the other blond and waited for the line to pick up.


	82. Chapter 82

Sorry for the late update. Had company at my place today. But here we go, a new chapter! This one is a continuation of Naruto's plan, so here we go, putting it into action!

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: me no own

Warnings: unbeta'd

* * *

He was now getting rather familiar with the process, sitting in a chair behind the set waiting for the show to start. Ino had quickly gotten them an appointment, and after having a brief discussion with Jiraiya and Kakashi later that afternoon, before Sasuke got home, he had a pretty good idea what to say.

While most of what Jiraiya and Kakashi had were minor complaints Minato had made, they knew plenty about his mother. Even more than what Naruto really knew about the situation. It had actually been nice, to sit there and listen to stories about his mother. It had always been a sore topic for his father, so he had always been careful not to bring it up.

But now was the time. Ino and Shikamaru had decided it was also the best point to bring up the secret family registry. After all, they were going to be talking about the whole situation, might as well back it up with proof. It would be a major strike to the Namikazes. They weren't going to recover easily from this.

The only issue with their current plan was that they were going ahead a little faster than anticipated. They weren't supposed to bring up the registry yet, they didn't have the Uchihas' permission for that. But they had all decided together it didn't matter. They were going ahead with it anyway. After all, they were all upset by the Namikazes' recent ploy.

This was payback.

So there Naruto sat, fidgeting, chewing nervously on his lip while Ino and Shikamaru spoke together in hushed whispers, Kiba bouncing on the balls of his feet impatiently. It had also been decided he would be there on stage too. If Sasuke couldn't be at Naruto's side, then Kiba would be. And it would be another strike to the Namikazes. They'd know for sure Naruto had gotten their message.

Naruto heard the approach of the lady who would direct them to the stage and swallowed thickly. She motioned to them, and Naruto gathered his courage and stood.

"Ready, Naruto?" Ino asked gently.

Naruto nodded. "I'm ready."

"You can do it!" Kiba cheered, and Naruto smiled faintly. His stomach was a bundle of nerves, but he was ready to do this. It was now his turn to make the Namikazes squirm. He smirked at the thought.

"This way Naruto. And don't worry, we'll be right there with you," Ino soothed as she led him to the stage following the woman's directions. Shikamaru lazily wandered behind them, and Kiba brought up the rear, his own nervousness showing on his face.

Naruto took his seat center stage, feeling the heated lights shining down on him, nearly blinding him. Kiba stood to the back, off to the side, as silent support. Ino sat beside him, and Shikamaru stood behind her. Everyone was in position, and as Naruto glanced at them all, he willed himself to relax and took a deep breath. He was ready for this.

"Uzumaki-san?" the host asked.

Naruto's blue eyes fluttered open- he hadn't even realized he had let them close- and he smiled at her. "Yes?"

She smiled in return. "I'm Tenten. I'll be conducting your interview today. I'm looking forward to working with you."

"Ah, uh, yeah. Nice to meet you."

Tenten's smile grew. "Don't be nervous. We're not live, and I don't bite."

Naruto laughed nervously. She was rather soothing, and he was starting to feel a little less nervous than he had before.

"Are you ready to get started?" Tenten asked him as she handed him a bottle of water.

"Um, yeah. I guess so," he replied, taking the water and handing it to Ino, who set it beside his chair.

Tenten smiled again, then motioned to the man by the camera. "Let's go, Lee!"

"Yosh!" he called back, flashing her a smile that seemed to glint and a thumbs up. "All set, Tenten-chan! Ganbattene!"

Naruto laughed, and the tension eased up even more. Everyone else seemed to relax at the sound.

Then Tenten turned all business. "Welcome again to the show! I'm your host, Tenten, and today we have a _very _special guest here. Now, everyone's heard of the current inheritance struggle going on between the illustrious Namikaze family and the supposed unknown son of the late writer Namikaze Minato. And now to tell his side of the story, I present Uzumaki Naruto! Naruto-san?" Tenten indicated to Naruto, and his nerves came rushing back. He gave a hesitant wave and a faint laugh.

"So cute," he thought he heard Tenten mutter under her breath and he blushed.

"Now, Naruto-san, we all know the basics of what's going on, but no one has ever heard you tell your side. We all know what your lawyers, Yamanaka-sensei and Nara-sensei say, but I know all of Japan want to hear from _you_."

Tenten smiled at him, and he realized it was his cue. Time to tell it all.

He swallowed thickly and glanced at Ino-san and Shimakaru, and they both gave encouraging nods. Kiba, in the background, gave him a thumbs up and a grin, and somehow Naruto realized Kiba's enthusiastic encouragement had gotten to the cameraman, who was now giving him a huge grin and a thumbs-up as well.

Naruto couldn't help but smile again. "Well, there's a lot to say, really," Naruto finally began. It felt better just to look and talk to Tenten. She was so easy going, and her smile helped to ease him. And she didn't seem to mind, she just continued to smile and encourage him.

"Then why don't we begin at the beginning? Tell us about your father."

Naruto was a little surprised by the request. He hadn't expected to be asked about his dad. But he agreed it would be a good place to start. "My dad was great."

He said it so sincerely, Tenten seemed a little thrown off guard. Ino smiled at the warmth in his voice.

"My dad raised me by himself, but he was really great. Even though he was always so busy with his writing, he always made time for me. Those closest to us were always a little exasperated with him, actually. He was such a doting father." Naruto laughed slightly, then it faded to a smiled. "I know he wasn't prepared to be a single father, but he really did his best, and he always put me first, even over his work."

"Really?" Tenten asked, her voice gentle and encouraging.

"Yeah. Sometimes to the point his editors would fuss at him." He recalled again a story he had thought about not too long ago and decided to share it with Tenten. "For one of the photos in one of his earlier books, he was supposed to go to a studio for it. I was never really one to get sick growing up, so when I had a slight, very slight, temperature that day, he totally panicked and called in. He threw everyone in a frenzy because they were on a tight schedule. Even though he was a new writer, he didn't care. I came first."

Tenten sighed. "He really does sound like a great dad. You must miss him a lot."

There was that pain again, and he could feel the tears welling in his eyes. He blinked and turned away from the front of the stage and Tenten until he felt like he was in control again. He didn't see the sympathetic looks Tenten and Ino were giving him, or the nearly pained look Kiba was trying to stifle. Lee, by the camera, was trying to stem the flow of tears, a green-clad arm laying across his eyes. Even Shikamaru couldn't hide the emotion on his face.

"Naruto," Ino began gently, "why don't you tell Tenten about your mother?"

Naruto looked up at Ino-san and nodded, a small smile appearing again. It really was time. And now, he really _was _ready. He turned back to Tenten and grinned.

"Hey, Tenten, do you wanna know why the Namikaze family hates me?"

Tenten was really thrown off guard now. "Why they hate you?"

"Why else do you think they took everything from me?"

Tenten pursed her lips and nodded. "Please continue."

"It all started when my dad decided to marry my mom. My mom, you see, Uzumaki Kushina, was from a really poor family. My parents met when she worked at a ramen shop my dad's mentor took him to once. My dad was so intrigued by her he kept going back, dragging his mentor along with him."

"Oh? Is that why your name is 'Naruto'?"

Naruto blushed. "Uh…"

Ino giggled and Shikamaru smirked, while Kiba in the background was trying not to fall over from laughing too hard.

"A-Anyway," Naruto continued, embarrassedly scratching the back of his head. "My parents fell in love, in spite of the fact that my mom was poor and unlady-like. Apparently, she was kinda of a tough, rowdy girl, and… Well, when my dad took her to meet his family, they immediately disapproved and demanded they break up. I heard from my dad's mentor, who had always watched over them, and still watches over me now, that they, meaning the Namikazes, had even decided to set my dad up with someone 'more befitting of his class'." Naruto frowned.

"My dad didn't like that. And apparently he argued a lot with his father and sister over it all. In the end, my dad decided he loved my mom more than he respected his father, and he left."

"Left?" Tenten asked, startled.

"Yeah. He ran off and married my mother, and a couple of years later, they had me."

Tenten blinked at him a moment, trying to absorb the information. Finally she spoke. "When you say _left…"_

Naruto nodded.

Tenten leaned forward and cocked her head to the side, "But the Namikazes… Don't they say your father was a very devoted son?"

"He was. Until he left."

Tenten swallowed. "But if he _left_…"

Naruto glanced at Ino.

The female lawyer smiled. "Now comes the legal issue."

"Legal?" Tenten asked, again startled.

"As you were saying, the Namikazes have always said the inheritance was theirs, because of their closeness to Minato-sensei. But in fact," and she lifted a finger to stress her point, "Shikamaru?" Ino directed, looking back at her partner. He bent over and languidly picked up his briefcase, opening it and rifling through the paperwork for something.

Meanwhile Ino continued. "No one seems to realize, but when Namikaze Minato left his family to start a new one with Uzumaki Kushina, that's exactly what he did. He was promptly disowned by the Namikazes, who wanted nothing to do with the low class Uzumaki, and so Minato-sensei began his own family registry in the new district where he lived with his wife(1)."

Shikamaru moved around the chairs and placed a paper on the table before them.

"Shikamaru, care to explain what this is?" Ino requested.

Shikamaru nodded. "This is the registry Namikaze Minato began when he left the Namikaze family and married Uzumaki Kushina."

"Lee, get that camera over here!" Tenten shouted suddenly.

"Hai, Tenten-chan!" Lee rushed over, camera in hand, and focused on the document.

"As you can see," Shikamaru continued, pointing as he spoke, "this registry, filed with the local authority under whose jurisdiction they lived, is completely lawful and binding. And in it, you can clearly see Namikaze Minato's name, along with his wife, Uzumaki Kushina. And here," Shikamaru's hand moved lower, "you can see the name of their son, Uzumaki Naruto."

Tenten's mouth dropped and she looked at Naruto, who was intently looking at the document. He had never seen it before, though he had heard of it. And it really was amazing to him now, to see it placed before him bearing all of the proof they really needed, the proof his parents had been married, and proof that he was their child.

The Namikazes couldn't possibly contest this now.

"I can't believe this," Tenten murmured. Lee nodded frantically from behind the camera.

"Amazing!" Lee agreed.

Tenten looked up. "Then what have the Namikazes done?"

"Really makes you wonder, ne?" Ino grinned. "Really think they're such an honorable family now?"

Kiba snorted loudly.

"No," Naruto murmured. "Not at all." He focused in on his father's name. "Nothing like my dad."

Tenten pursed her lips and nodded. Then she turned back to face the camera. "And there you have it Japan. Are the Namikazes really as honorable as everyone has always been led to believe? You tell me."

And so the show ended.

* * *

(1) So this is the closest to a legal-type explanation you're gonna get. I'm not a lawyer, so I looked this up on wikipedia. Apparently, the family registry is something that is filed in the district the family lives, and is maintained in that jurisdiction. Or something like that...


	83. Chapter 83

So this chapter is super incredibly short, even for my standards, and it's really just a bridge for the next chapter. The next chapter, by the way, is longer and brilliant (at least I think so). So enjoy this one for now, and till next week!

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: unbeta'd, the usual Namikazeness

* * *

It was raining outside. As the rain fell and thunder and lightning rent the sky, Naruto was sitting once again in front of the TV. Once again, his appearance and the inheritance struggle was on all the stations, but this time was strikingly different from the previous times.

So far, the entire struggle had been uphill. The Namikazes had the upper hand. But now things were completely switched. It was the Namikazes who were fighting the uphill battle. With his most recent appearance, all of the reports had turned in Naruto's favor. No one could deny the emotion Naruto had displayed when speaking about his father. Editors who had worked with Namikaze Minato were confirming the story told, confirming that they were certain Minato-sensei had a son, and that the one contesting the inheritance was him.

And that family registry which had been presented was very solid evidence, one which the Namikazes were having a hard time fighting.

They were being pushed to the wall. The whole of Japan were turning against them. Even Naruto could feel the pressure building. The dam was about the burst.

He bit his lip and sat back on the couch, watching as the news reports continued, people who had once spoken of how shameful it was there was a person out there trying to make a mockery of the illustrious Namikaze family now speaking of whether it could be true that same family had really done something so disgraceful.

The Namikazes were becoming extremely ill-thought of throughout the country.

It made Naruto giddy.

He flipped the channel to a new program, one he hadn't seen yet. It drew his full attention, as there in the forefront was Yakushi Kabuto.

"Yakushi-sensei, what does Namikaze-sama have to say about the recent allegations? All those things Uzumaki Naruto-san revealed?"

Yakushi pursed his lips and pushed up his glasses. "Lies. They are nothing but lies. Uzumaki is trying to raise sympathy, while at the same time profaning the Namikaze name."

"So you say there is no truth to the matter? At all?"

"Precisely."

"Then what about the registry? Is that a lie, too?" The interviewer asked, eyebrow raised in suspicion of Yakushi.

The lawyer frowned openly. "The registry is questionable. We are currently analyzing it for any validity. We do not expect to find any. Namikaze Minato was a dutiful son, and saying otherwise is a mark against him."

Naruto could hear the tightness in Yakushi's voice, could hear the strain to keep his composure. The man was clearly irritated with the current proceedings.

Naruto smiled. The Namikazes were clearly stretching for cover. Resorting to such lies, no one in Japan would believe it. They really were getting desperate.

"Let me remind you," Naruto registered Yakushi was saying, "who we are referring to in this matter." Yakushi pushed up his glasses again. "The Namikaze are a respectable family, with a great many connections. Everyone, most especially that Uzumaki Naruto and his lawyers, would do well to remember that the Namikazes have a great many connections. Upsetting them would be most unwise. The trickery Uzumaki and his lawyers are resorting to will not go unchallenged."

Naruto frowned.

"Now, Yakushi-sensei," the man interviewing him murmured in surprise, "that sounds almost like a threat."

Yakushi Kabuto smiled. "Of course not. It is merely the truth. The Namikazes are as they have always been. Respectable and well-known. Uzumaki is nobody compared to the Namikaze family. He has no right to interfere with the Namikazes' world. He will always be a nobody."

Naruto turned the TV off. Looks like he was in the mood for another bloody writing scene.


	84. Chapter 84

A little late, but here we go, the chapter you all have been waiting for! (the first part, anyway)

This one has been a long time coming, and I really enjoyed writing it. So I hope you all enjoy it and it meets all of your expectations!

Warnings: brace yourselves ^_^, unbeta'd

Disclaimer: don't own

* * *

Naruto was on the edge of his seat, and there was nothing Sasuke could do about it. He was trying to draw Naruto's attention away from the TV, knowing full well if Naruto sat there much longer, there was no way he would get pulled away later.

After all, in just a few minutes time, Namikaze Takayuki was going to be appearing in a conference to formally oppose Naruto's story in person.

Everyone had gathered for the occasion, with the exception of Itachi, who had his own conference room full of people to terrorize. It was his job, but as he said, "someone had to enjoy the privilege of destroy people's morales."

But for everyone else, the lawyers, Kakashi and Jiraiya, Kiba, Sasuke and Naruto, they were all glued to the TV, ready to see what Namikaze Takayuki was going to say to bullshit his way out of the situation. It was his moment to save face, after all. As Naruto had done when he went on TV to talk about his parents and the situation, to talk about how everything had come about and give his side of the inheritance issue and make himself the face of their campaign, Namikaze Takayuki was now doing the same thing.

They were watching the preparation before the conference began, watching as the reporter on the current channel related the story everyone in Japan already knew, keeping the audience up to date on the situation and what they were expected to soon hear. In the background, the gathered group, and anyone else watching their TVs right now, could see Namikaze Takayuki sitting in the chair in the middle of the conference room, sitting primly and stiff, his face stoic. Behind him stood his daughter, Naruto's aunt Himino, on his left, and his grandson, the same nephew who had made the claim to Japan that he was like a son to the late writer, to his right.

They were all dressed like the rich, upper-class family everyone knew them to be, looking their best in order to make a good impression on the nation as they fought the strike against their pride. And they were practically oozing confidence, Naruto's aunt and cousin.

The smiles on their faces showed they weren't afraid of the current situation, confident that they were going to come out on top, as always. Naruto wasn't a threat- he was a nobody, some upstart brat who thought he could challenge the Namikazes and get away with it. The recent ploy against them had made a scratch on their gold-plated image, and they weren't going to stand for that. Their expressions foretold the vengeance they fully expected to deliver upon Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto ground his teeth as he watched them. He didn't know what they were going to say, how they were going to attempt to counter the solid legal base Ino-san and Shikamaru had formed. He didn't know how they were planning on lying their way through this, but he knew it wouldn't be good for him.

But still, he was here, ready to listen to every hateful word they uttered. And he hoped, as best he could in his position, that the damage wouldn't hurt as badly as before. He hoped this time at least, the damage against them had been done.

As faint as it was, as helpless as it was, he couldn't help but hope.

He glanced at Sasuke who stood beside him, hands in the pockets of his black suit, the same suit he had worn to work that day. He had just returned, returned to a house full of visitors all waiting to see what the sly Namikaze family had up their sleeves.

Everyone was tense, they all knew it had the potential to be bad. But for Naruto's sake, they wanted to be proven wrong.

The reporter on the screen finally paused in her speech and made a sign that she had received a message through the earpiece she wore, and then nodded at the camera. "We have just been informed that the conference is ready to begin. And now, I present to you the rebuttal of the Namikaze family in regards to the claims made against them, made by the head of the family, the Honorable Namikaze Takayuki-sama himself."

She turned away and the camera flipped to focus on the head of the Namikaze family. Takayuki sat up straighter and focused his gaze forward, his expression never shifting, but in the background Himino's smile grew.

"Sasuke," Naruto murmured, his voice tightening, his stomach in knots. What was going to happen? He had no idea.

"Don't worry. It'll be fine. They can't do anything," Sasuke replied from where he stood. He glanced over and Naruto caught sight of the small smile on his lover's face, and he couldn't help the small one that stretched over his own features.

He turned back to the TV, where the crowds gathered to hear Namikaze's speech had grown silent. The old man glanced around the room just as Yakushi Kabuto stepped onto the stage, taking up the place beside Naruto's cousin. The lawyer nodded slightly to the Namikaze head, the stage lights glinting off of his glasses, and Namikaze turned back to the crowds.

"I am here to speak on behalf of the Namikaze family," he finally began, his voice rich and deep, full of confidence and authority. But his expression never changed, it was still just as hard as it had been before. "I will begin by addressing the nation of Japan. We Namikaze's have been a part of this great nation for many generations, always working on behalf of the people."

"What does that mean?" Kiba asked from his place standing behind Naruto.

"The Namikaze's have always worked in politics, all the way back to the Tokugawa era (1)," Jiraiya answered.

"Tokugawa? Can that really be said to be serving the people of Japan(2)?" Shikamaru muttered from his spot beside Naruto on the couch.

"My only son, Minato, was a vital part of our family, and always could be depended on to do his best for the sake of the family. We have always been proud of him, a most worthy member of our family, and my heir." He paused for effect. "His death was a great misfortune for us all."

Naruto pursed his lips, and caught a glimpse of his aunt's self-assured smile grow.

"Thus this slight against a family who has always had the best of intentions in mind for the country is something that no one in Japan should allow. To see this building of acceptance of the claims of," he paused again, and a brief flash of disgust crossed his features, "Uzumaki Naruto being related to my honorable son is a slight against a family that cares only for the prosperity of the Japanese people. Have my family been so unjust to the people of Japan that you turn against us in the favor of an upstart who claims a closeness to my poor, late son? Can you not see all that Uzumaki has done to turn the trusting Japanese people against us? He has played with the emotions of the nation, and has disgraced the memory of my son.

"To claim Minato was anything but a most worthy son, to claim that he would go against the family he was so devoted to, to think, even consider for a moment that Minato would go against my wishes and marry someone… someone…"

He stopped speaking, and Himino leaned over and placed a comforting hand on her father's shoulder.

"Uh, guys? Is… this okay?" Kiba asked into the awkward silence of the room.

"No, it's not," Sasuke replied, gritting his teeth.

"He's faking. He's _obviously faking," _Ino stated angrily.

"It's a good step," Shikamaru said. Everyone glanced at him and he shrugged. "Even though he's faking, I have no doubt the emotional show is earning them points."

"But he's faking it! He doesn't care!" Kiba exclaimed, pointing an angry finger at the TV.

Jiraiya shook his head, while Kakashi sighed and shared his thoughts. "That's the way they work. They're masters of manipulation, those Namikazes. You've seen that for yourself."

"Deceit and manipulation. The forte of the most Honorable Namikaze family," Jiraiya muttered.

"Do you see the faces of the people watching the conference?" Ino pointing out, indicating the people on the edges of the stage all watching on and shook her head. "They're buying it."

"Dude," Kiba muttered, "that is _not_ good."

Naruto took a deep, steadying breath.

Yakushi Kabuto leaned in closer to Namikaze Takayuki and murmured something in his ear. The old man nodded slightly.

"But we have not even begun to speak of the truth to the nation," Namikaze finally continued. He focused again on the camera.

Slight murmuring was heard in the conference room. "I now would like to address Uzumaki Naruto directly," Namikaze spoke. Everyone in the apartment perked up, and Naruto's eyes widened.

"Uzumaki Naruto, you who have come forward to shame my family, I would like to tell you the following three things. First of all, I am ashamed for your family."

Naruto's eyes went wide, and the room fell deathly silent.

"I don't know who your family are or where you came from, but this cannot be allowed to continue. Are you not ashamed of what you are putting them through? Are you uncaring as to how you must be making them feel with this disgraceful charade? Are you really so unsympathetic that you will go after the pain of a grieving family for your own selfish needs? Do you have no love for your fellow citizens?"

"If I may add," Himino spoke in a low, soothing voice filled with deceit, "I can only pray that my brother in heaven can forgive your disgraceful actions against the family he loved so much."

Naruto couldn't take it. That they would aim so low as to say what they did. He could see all of their devious smiles- his grandfather, his aunt, his cousin, even that damn lawyer was laughing at him.

"Those-" Jiraiya began.

"How _dare_ they-" Ino screeched.

"Bull shit!" Kiba shouted.

And the room had erupted into chaos. Everyone was shouting, yelling profanities at the TV, saying what ever they could to vent their fury at the low shot. The Namikaze's knew what Minato meant to Naruto, to say such things.

Tears streamed down Naruto's face at the terrible assault.

His father… forgive _him_?

Naruto hadn't done anything wrong.

But the Namikaze's hadn't finished their assault, and Naruto struggled through the angry turmoil around him to hear the rest of Namikaze's speech, as hard as it was to hear, and as blurry as the TV had become through his teary vision.

"Second of all, I would like to say that my family, however forgiving my son might have been toward your disgraceful actions, will not be so generous. You have made an enemy of my family, and we will not go easy on you. My son's name is on the line, as well as my family's honor. We will not let this go lightly."

He went on, but no one in the room was paying attention anymore. Everyone was furious, and no one had enough bad things to say about what they were seeing.

The tears had slowed, but Naruto wasn't really there anymore. The pain and anger had dulled his other senses. He just… wanted it all to be over. He wanted to turn the TV off and pretend it all had never happened, but there was nothing he could do. It was all too late. Far too late to turn back now.

"My final word to you, Uzumaki Naruto, is to remind you of one final thing." The Namikazes all took on a relaxed, self-confident look, the lawyer's glasses flashing once again in the light as everyone in the conference awaited the final word of the Namikaze family.

"You have made an enemy you cannot defeat. We shall show no mercy in defending our honor. My son's honor. And our many _esteemed_ allies, shall not stand for it either."

They had won, it was written all over their faces. They now had all of Japan back in their hands, once again sympathizing with the family with money and connections and power, and again thinking the worst of the upstart who had opposed and sullied them.

The conference room was quiet, as was the apartment of the current spectators.

Tense silence reined as the conference approached its close.

Then the sound of a door slamming open rang throughout the conference room, filled even the apartment of the furious, defeated spectators. Everyone blinked in confusion in both locations, and then a figure appeared out of the side into the camera's view, casting the intruder's visage throughout the country.

Naruto's eyes went wide, and he frantically glanced about the room.

Gone.

But not gone.

Blue eyes turned back to the TV.

"Namikaze Takayuki," Sasuke's deep voice intoned as he stood before his enemy in the conference room, his black suit he had worn all day still as impeccable as ever, even as Naruto could tell he had rushed to get to that conference room. When, Naruto wasn't sure. He had been so absorbed in Namikaze's words he had been lost to the room around him.

But sure enough, Sasuke had become so inflamed with anger he had stormed out amidst the commotion and had practically flown to that conference room.

No one messes with an Uchiha.

"U-Uchiha Sasuke?" Namikaze Himino exclaimed in astonishment.

"What an honor to see you here, Uchiha-san," Namikaze Takayuki intoned. He was clearly surprised, but pleased. Obviously, he thought an ally was before him.

And now the whole conference room was abuzz.

"Namikaze Takayuki," Sasuke spoke again, and the room instantly fell silent, his voice tight but eerily calm. "I have listened to every word you have spoken throughout this conference, and I have come to deliver a message."

"A message?" Namikaze asked.

"No longer will the Uchiha stay silent. You have just stated to the whole of Japan that one should be weary of the enemies they make."

Namikaze smiled. "Yes, it is something I believe to be very true. An Uchiha, of course, is the worst enemy one can make."

"I'm glad you agree," Sasuke replied.

"And we are most fortune to now have you in our midst tonight," Himino interjected.

Sasuke's blank expression was easily visible to everyone who watched, and so the smirk which then crossed his features was easily discernible. "You shouldn't be. You have made the worst kind of enemy with all that you have said. As of this moment, in response to the words you have spoken tonight, I, Uchiha Sasuke, declare _war _against the Namikazes."

The Namikazes expressions fell. The audience in the conference room's jaws dropped.

"No one messes with an Uchiha. Prepare yourselves. There won't be anything left of you when we're done. We will show _no _mercy after _this_ slight."

And he turned and left the conference room just as boldly as he had arrived.

Naruto nearly sweat-dropped from his seat, eyes still fixed to the spot Sasuke had just vacated on the screen. Then he laughed.

Everyone in the apartment turned to him.

"Uh, Naruto? You okay," Kiba questioned hesitantly.

"Bastard. He didn't even explain why he was so pissed off!" Naruto said, then laughed harder, nearly falling off the couch where he still sat.

A moment passed. And soon, the others were laughing as well.

* * *

(1) Tokugawa era- began in 1600 under the first shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and lasted until 1868.

(2) During the Tokugawa era, power rested in the samurai class. The higher powers really didn't pay too much attention to the lower classes, the "people"


	85. Chapter 85

So I'm sure you all noticed the lack of update last week. (I'm sorry, don't throw those rocks!) Blame The Hobbit.

As for next week... there might not be an update. Honestly, I haven't written anything substantial in a while, so there might not be anything to post next Friday. We shall see!

In the meantime, I'm sorry, and offer this lovely chapter up as recompense!

Warnings: Itachi-ness, unbeta'd

Disclaimer: me no own

* * *

True, Sasuke hadn't properly explained the situation to his new enemies, and there was much speculation on the matter the next day, but a well-timed appearance by one Uchiha Itachi was soon prepared to clear everything up.

All that morning every news report had nothing to say on anything but the appearance of Uchiha Sasuke at the Namikaze conference, and his rather reckless and, apparently random, declaration of war. Quietly there was some speculation as to the cause, almost whispered ideas of a connection between the Namikaze family and the Uchihas' own family situation.

But that made no sense, and no one wanted to be an enemy of the Uchiha. So no one spoke too much or too loudly of _those_ ideas.

It was all going to be cleared up soon, however, as the announcement was made that the head of the Uchiha was going to speak on the occurrence and make an appearance.

So once more, it seemed all of Japan were plastered to their TVs as Uchiha Itachi, the proud head of the venerated Uchiha family, took his place at the podium prepared for him in the Uchiha's own private conference room within the company. It was the place the Uchiha always made their public appearances in, and it was set up to show off the great esteem of the Uchiha family.

And as always, the head of the family himself was not one to be dismissed. He stood upright and self-assured as he stepped up to the podium emblazoned with the Uchiha crest, tightening his already impeccable tie as he took his position, his face calm and collected, a slight smirk etched onto his lips.

The camera was already rolling, ready to relate every word to the whole country.

"As I am certain all are already aware," he began after a moment of staring down the few unfortunate souls in the room with him, "my little brother," and he passively indicated said brother standing to his side, "rather petulantly declared war upon the Namikaze family. It was a sudden, impulsive move, and I have only one thing to say on the matter."

The whole country held their breath. Everyone expected one thing, but it was Uchiha Itachi speaking. Even if you knew the exact words which would come from his lips, you didn't move until he was finished. And everyone was expecting to hear the head of the Uchiha family retract Sasuke's words. After all, the Uchiha siding _against_ the Namikaze? Impossible.

Then he spoke, almost wistfully, "How I wish I had been there as well."

The few people in the room nearly collapsed from shock.

Itachi turned back to Sasuke, and everyone watching almost thought they saw a pout form on Uchiha Itachi's handsome face. "Little brother, you stole my line. I'm so disappointed."

Sasuke smirked and shrugged, but made no comment.

Itachi turned back to the camera, his Most Powerful Man in the World face back on.

"Unfortunately, I was in the middle of a meeting which could not be left to others. I have, I am pleased to say, however, watched the whole of the conference, and my favorite part featuring my dear little brother, numerous times."

Itachi smirked, his gaze penetrating and intense, reminding all watching that this man was not one to be messed with. "As my dear little brother related yesterday, we Uchiha will now take part in this game. With pleasure."

A moment as Itachi confidently looked upon the camera, no doubt waiting for the words to settle on the Japanese public, waiting for it to sink in. "I look forward to the outcome." Itachi glanced at Sasuke, a smirk coming to his lips. He returned his gaze to the camera once again.

"And now, Namikaze, perhaps you are confused as to how you have suddenly become the enemy of the Uchiha? I have only one explanation, and it should be obvious. You have made an enemy of us the moment you made an enemy of Uzumaki Naruto." Itachi's expression darkened severely. "Especially all that was said as to the need for Minato-san's forgiveness.

"Does all this surprise you? It shouldn't. After all, the Uchiha do not look well upon those who would discredit our family."

Again, Itachi paused to let the message sink in, and in the meantime again straightened his not an inch out of place tie. He focused on the camera, gaze intense and unflinching. "Namikaze, for your crimes against Naruto-kun, prepare to face the Uchiha. We will show no mercy."

A final flash of Uchiha Itachi's trademark sadistic smile, and he walked off the stage and out of the room.


	86. Chapter 86

Yeah...

So it's been a while... again. Normally when I post after a long break, I have several chapters to offer, as a sort of amends for the long wait. Sorry, not this time. This is all I have, and to be honest, it's been written for months. I was hoping to be able to post several like I usually do, but it seems it really will take forever. I'm sorry, I've had school, work, and plot issues, and now that school has started up again (my last semester, at last), and with me getting a full-time permanent position (thankfully at last), I can't be sure I'll be able to write more any time soon.

But! I offer this as compromise... I have written a shorter story (short by my standards), and better yet, it's actually finished. Again, SasuNaru, and it's four chapters. I will post it up starting next week. And in the meantime, maybe I'll find some extra time and motivation to get some writing done. I hope. Please give me lots of lovely reviews to motivate me again!

So now, on we go!

Disclaimer: don't own

Warnings: unbeta'd, didn't reread before posting, Sakura-ness (if you remember her character for this story)

* * *

She had never really paid much attention to the news and the media unless it had something to do with the Uchiha family, or more specifically, with her precious Sasuke-kun. But even she had taken notice with all the fuss going on over the deceased writer, and now with the whole inheritance issue.

However crazy obsessed she got over Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura was a smart girl. She was a med student, and a copious reader. And Namikaze Minato's books were some of her favorite. So, like many of the late writer's fans, she had been very distressed to hear of his death. But she also knew the Namikaze were one of those well-known families, and so she was content to see them inherit the late writer's estate.

But then the inheritance was contested, and she, like so many of the Japanese people, had been furious. Who was this upstart brat from the slums doing going against the Namikaze family? She had been appalled. She knew the outcome, of course. She knew there was no doubt the Namikaze family would come out on top. There was no way it would go any other way.

And she said so frequently, as the news reports continued, to her senpai (1) Shizune and her mentor Tsunade. Shizune-senpai would just smile in agreement, and Tsunade-shishou (2) would just ignore it all. But then, Shishou didn't much care about the lives of the rich and famous.

But even though she more or less knew the basics of everything, she wasn't really paying any attention to it.

Until the Uchiha family declared war on the Namikaze family.

Suddenly, she realized she had missed something. Something big. After all, how could her precious Sasuke-kun have a connection to the fight against the Namikaze family?

Then she discovered another connection she had completely missed. Her best friend, Yamanaka Ino, was the lawyer of the upstart claiming he was the son of the famous writer!

It was absurd!

Not to mention, Sakura was still reeling from the words Sasuke had spoken before, about him spending Christmas with a _lover._ It was starting to all fall together.

And she didn't like it. Not _one_ bit.

And so, a couple of days after Uchiha Itachi declared his intention to follow through with the war against the Namikaze family, she managed to make her way into Ino's office, just for a nice chat with her best friend. She was patient- Haruno Sakura was nothing if not patient, after all, and when Ino made her way out of the office for a moment, Sakura helped herself to Ino's files.

And there it was. The address of one Uzumaki Naruto.

As soon as she could, she made her way out of there and over to pay the prat a visit.

And the place was stunning. As she walked in through the walkway up to the building, made her way through the foyer and to the elevator, she was amazed. That upstart had managed to live in a place like this? How? How was this fair?

She held her anger and irritation in check as she made her way to the door.

So not only had this nobody stolen the attention of the Uchiha, destroyed the reputation of the Namikaze, and dishonored the memory of a most beloved writer, he was a liar to boot. Oh, he was _not_ getting away with this.

Soon she found the room, the nameplate beside it stopping her short. Not only did the polished silver proclaim this particular room the home of one Uzumaki Naruto, but… Uchiha Sasuke as well.

Sakura blinked at it for a while as the pieces fell into place. The apartment, the lawyers (as best friend of Ino, she knew better than anyone how pricey the fiery blonde's service was), and most of all, the Uchiha connection. This was Sasuke-kun, her beloved Sasuke-kun's, lover.

A man.

She felt her knees give out and she clutched the wall for support.

A man?

Her Sasuke-kun and… a man?

There was no way.

No way this could be happening. Not to her.

She had waited years, _years_, to be with him. Only for him to be stolen from her by a _man_?

The girl braced herself, her anger taking hold. She knew she could be irrational when she got angry, but her Sasuke-kun was on the line. She wasn't going to let this happen. She didn't know how this person had conned her Sasuke-kun, how he had conned the Uchiha, but she wasn't going to let him continue. He wasn't going to ruin any more upper class families.

Sakura up-righted herself and prepared for battle. Then she rang the bell.

Several seconds later and the door pulled open, and Haruno Sakura was face to face with a blue-eyed blond. And as beautiful as she knew herself to be, she was stunned to see how beautiful this person standing before her was.

Then a flash of an image crossed her mind's eye, a picture of the late writer, and suddenly, she wasn't so sure this person _wasn't _related to Namikaze Minato.

But she had to hold her ground.

For her Sasuke-kun.

"Um, can I help you?" the blond at the door asked. Nervously he glanced around the hallway, and the way he held the door was just as unsure. Obviously, he was weary of someone he didn't know showing up at his home.

"Are you Uzumaki Naruto?" Sakura asked forcefully.

He swallowed and pulled back, closing the gap of the door a bit more. "Y-Yeah?"

She pursed her lips. She was intimidating him, and it made her giddy. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all. She would put him in his place, and before the hour was up, he was going to agree to drop the issue with the Namikaze and be out of the apartment (which she was sure would soon be hers) and leave her Sasuke-kun alone.

And so with that inspiring thought in mind, she pushed her way inside, nearly mowing over him as she did so, and soon she was standing in his apartment, taking it all in.

It was magnificent. Beautiful, clean, impeccable. The light from outside was streaming in on the elegant place, making it seem open and warm and inviting. The only sign of a mess was on the table, which was littered with paperwork.

She turned back to the blond, who was eyeing her suspiciously as he closed the door behind him.

"I've come to speak to you on behalf of Uchiha Sasuke-kun."

He blinked at her. "Sasuke?"

She felt her pulse rush at the familiarity with her Sasuke-kun.

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

Sakura smiled at him. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Haruno Sakura," her smile grew, "Sasuke-kun's fiancé."

His expression dropped, his eyes seemed to dilate, and he looked like the air had been forced out of his lungs. Sasuke's… fiancé.

"Y-You mean, you're…"

"Did you not hear? My father is a politician. The wedding has been in the works for a while."

Naruto didn't know what to say. Sakura could already tell she was winning.

In the silent room, the TV was the loudest object, and it was at that moment the commercials ended and the news report resumed, again relating the events of the battle between the two families, Uchiha versus Namikaze.

Both occupants of the apartment turned to the TV, and Naruto watched as a picture of Sasuke flashed against the screen.

Sasuke's fiancé?

He looked again at her, and couldn't help but think she was beautiful. Beautiful, and female. If Sasuke wanted a family… he could easily have it with her.

And all of his insecurities came rushing back at him. He looked at the floor and swallowed thickly.

But how could no one have told him about this? Sasuke had never said anything. Itachi-san too, had acted like he was happy to have Naruto as a part of the family. Was all of that a lie? Was Itachi-san making fun of him? Not even Mariko-san…

His thoughts stopped and he frowned at the girl, focusing on her expression as she watched Sasuke on the screen. He had seen looks like that before, had seen the lovesick expression of girls, especially over an Uchiha. And hadn't Sasuke himself mentioned how girls got over him? And how he couldn't care less?  
Come to think of it, he had heard from both Mariko-san and Sasuke that Itachi was always trying to get Sasuke into bed with someone, many different ploys being put to use.

And no one had ever mentioned a fiancé.

At the very least, Mariko-san would have said something. She seemed to know so many of Sasuke's secrets. Sasuke trusted her, enough to leave it to her to find a place for his lover and to keep it from Itachi.

And Sasuke… Even if the younger Uchiha had never _said _he loved Naruto, Naruto had long realized Sasuke was one of those actions speak louder than words people. Even if Sasuke wanted to hide having a fiancé from his lover… No, Sasuke would clearly be against the idea. He was always fighting Itachi-san about such things after all.

And as devilish as Itachi-san could be… Naruto couldn't believe Itachi-san would do such a thing. He truly believed Itachi-san liked him, and was on their side. He wouldn't agree to keep Naruto in the dark while Sasuke got engaged to someone else.

A picture of his father flashed across the screen. And he thought, if I were my father, what would he be thinking right now? His father was the rational sort. All of the pieces falling together… Naruto didn't buy it. People schemed all the time. He would trust Sasuke.

"Haruno-san, right?" he called to her, bringing her attention away from the news report.

"Yes?"

"Is there a reason you're here exactly?"

She turned back to him and approached him again. "I've come to tell you that you should end all of this. You'll only embarrass yourself and damage the Uchiha name."

He cocked his head at her, as though in thought. "You think so? What do you propose I do?"

She smiled at him, obviously believing things were going her way. "End it with Sasuke-kun. It's not going anywhere anyways, as I am his fiancé. And stop letting him use his family name for your little game."

He sighed. "I see. You're right. Things won't end well this way."

"That's right."

He looked up at her and smiled. "You're kinda narrow minded, aren't you Haruno-san?"

Her smile fell. "What?"

He decided to put all his cards on the table, and try his luck. "I know for a fact you aren't engaged to Sasuke. I don't know what you think you can gain from this, but I can tell you this much. It's not gonna work. And even if I tried to pull out now, there's no way the Uchiha are gonna let me. They _really_ want the Namikaze family to pay."

"What do you know about them?" she fumed.

Naruto smiled. "A lot more than you."

She looked like she was about to hit him.

"They know all the things the Namikaze family have done to me. They don't like it, and they won't stand for it. They decided on their own to get revenge. So even if I were to try to get out of it, they won't let me." He looked intently at her, and she frowned at the look. "And you know, there's no way the Uchiha will let me get away from them." He paused for another moment. "Sasuke loves me."

She fumed, her expression promising pain. She looked for a moment like she was debating which of those statements she would attack first, but curiosity won out. "What do you mean," she began suspiciously, "by 'what the Namikaze family has done to you'?"

Naruto cocked his head. "I guess you wouldn't know." He sighed. "It's a long story. I doubt you care enough to listen. I'm your rival, after all," and he couldn't help but grin cheekily.

Sakura frowned, her green eyes flashing. "_I'll_ decide that. I've got plenty of time. Spill it." And she made her way over to the couch and sat herself down, ready to hear it all with skepticism in her eyes. She was obviously looking for an excuse, any reason to turn Sasuke against the blond.

Naruto sighed and sat down in the chair by the window to the balcony. He thought for a moment, debating with himself what he should divulge and where to start. In the end, he decided it would be best not to leave anything out.

So he started from the beginning, and told it all.

Two hours later the door opened and Sasuke walked in. He sighed heavily as he dropped his briefcase by the door, quickly dumped his shoes and began ripping his tie off. He'd had another long, annoying day, filled with Itachi and the press. But he paused before heading further in at the sound of a woman's laughter.

What was a _female_ doing in his apartment? He took a few frantic steps forward, then froze.

What he saw he had never expected to find.

Naruto, his blond idiotic lover, was sitting on the couch, pouring over an open book, _Haruo Sakura_ sitting next to him, chatting happily about some feature of the book as Naruto nodded fervently in agreement. They were laughing and talking over each other, both ecstatically conversing about the many great features of whatever book was between them, sitting together like old friends.

It made his skin crawl.

"Naruto," he spoke, his voice low but audible.

Both heads looked up, and Naruto grinned as he jumped up and over the couch, throwing his arms around his lover.

Haruno Sakura frowned, but said nothing.

"Naruto, what is _she_ doing in our apartment," Sasuke growled.

Naruto pulled away and turned to look at Sakura, then turned back to Sasuke, grinning. "We're talking about my dad's last book. She's a fan!"

Sasuke glared.

"Naruto," Sasuke growled again.

Naruto pouted. "Stop being rude to our guest."

A dark brow twitched.

Finally Sakura spoke. "Naruto told me about the Namikaze family, what they did to him." Her face took on a fierce look. "I had always thought they were a marvelous family. I had no idea they were such _infuriating crooks!" _She faced the TV and frowned. "And so I've called a temporary truce with Naruto."

"A truce," Sasuke growled. "What the hell does that mean?"

Sakura looked at him and smiled, fluttering her lashes elegantly. "Until everything is taken care of against the Namikaze, I will allow Naruto to stay close to you, Sasuke-kun. But as soon as it is all over, I'll be back to win you over."

"Tch. Irritating," Sasuke grumbled. He turned and headed to the bedroom, no longer sparing her the slightest glance.

"Ah! Sasuke, I haven't said 'Okaeri' yet!" Naruto called from the front door.

"Hn, idiot. Tadaima." He shut the door to the bedroom behind him.

Sakura frowned at the brief exchange.

Naruto grinned. "See! Told you he loves me!"

* * *

(1) Does this need a note? A senior at work or school

(2) Master or teacher


End file.
